


Maverick Hunter Remixed

by v1le



Category: Rockman X | Mega Man X
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 58,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26475208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1le/pseuds/v1le
Summary: An au playing with the idea of Sigma not being contaminated by the maverick virus that turns into a retelling of how Zero would become a maverick hunter had he not had his brain broken in that battle. Eventual zero/x, there's a lot of cameos of reploids that turned maverick in the series being ok in this or alternatives to them turning evil without Sigma's influence. (edit: change in rating because M was probably overkill)
Relationships: X & Zero, X/Zero (Rockman), others are suggested but not really explored
Comments: 24
Kudos: 38





	1. Sigma's Introduction

Commander Sigma dragged heavy steps across the desert plane, barely capable of holding himself upright. He didn't bother picking up the arm he had lost in that battle, amazed he was still 'alive' in a manner of speaking after the final collision. The red maverick he had faced had been a horror story among his men for some time now, he'd make a note to himself never to get overconfident over a maverick again. 

There was definitely something special about this one, and it bothered him more than the injuries he had suffered. Part of the reason he brushed away his men's assistance was Sigma wanted some time to ponder the reploid he just met. He had acted more rabid than any robot, somehow ignoring the wounds inflicted upon him and able to constantly fight with his bare hands. The part that created what could only be called 'fear' in his mind was that what he had faced wasn't the red maverick's full capabilities. Sigma hoped that once the reploid had been properly analyzed they'd learn a bit more about what created that level of maverick. 

He looked at the seemingly endless landscape in front of him, noting his squad's aircraft in the distance. Every step felt difficult, he'd have to report to Dr. Cain to upgrade him after his repairs were finished. The commander didn't like the feeling creeping on him that there would be more cases of mavericks like that red one and he wanted to be prepared. There were already reploids among his own unit that he suspected could go maverick and create damage beyond his unit's capability to handle without his presence, only adding to his anxiety for the future.

How long would the Maverick Wars last? Dr. Cain was researching extensively to find a way to bring a solution to a problem he had unintentionally created. Having shown Sigma some of his reports based off of the original android, it appeared that their current technology just wasn't advancing fast enough to properly study what made the template for all reploids resistant to turning maverick. 

At first when Sigma learned about Mega Man X he was instantly interested in his capabilities. If his capabilities were infinite, that meant there was hope after all for a power that could end the Maverick Wars permanently. He had yet to meet X proper, he was still unsure of the world around him and was slowly being introduced by Dr. Cain. Thanks to the high skill of his creator, X was catching on quickly, capable of learning at a rate most reploids couldn't fathom. Perhaps when they did eventually meet, he would be able to persuade X to join his ranks, potentially lead his own unit in due time.

Until then, Sigma released from his mouth a held exhaust fume that could be compared to sighing upon reaching his aircraft. There were already Lifesavers and navigators fighting down panic, a regret he had at having appeared invincible to maverick hunters before this battle. He had an inkling to what his subordinates were thinking and it made him feel guilty.

He may have won for now, but he felt like it was a failure. It was a last resort moment, he would've smashed a fist into the maverick's helmet gem but stopped at the last moment, instead elbowing him in the back of head. It was enough to knock him unconscious, he hoped the android didn't awaken at any point of his men transferring his body to the Lifesavers back at the base.

As the medics on board his ship rushed him inside, barely disguising the anxiety at seeing their commander in such a state, Sigma felt disgusted in himself for his cockiness. The people needed hope in these times, not another reason to worry about what the future would bring.

He had let them down.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A year after the red maverick incident, and Hunter HQ had gotten back into a steady rhythm of being able to handle most mavericks without too much of an incident. Casualties were avoided to the best of their capabilities. There had been a couple of changes in that time, namely:

1) Mega Man X joins the Maverick Hunters. He shows great promise, quickly moving from rank D to B and is specially placed within Commander Sigma's unit. An area causing worry with his programming is his pacifism, he frequently hesitates in combat though there is some record of improvement. The Commander is keeping a close eye on his progress and continues to hold X as their hope for the future in spite of members within the unit's concerns. 

2) The Red Maverick is kept under constant surveillance. Upon analysis, little can be reported. The most noteworthy being his name and a very primitive level of understanding of his internal composition. Further research is necessary, Dr. Cain has designated a team of researchers to study 'Zero' while he explores the area that the red maverick was found in the hope of uncovering more information on his creation. Gate has been made the leader, given freedom to handpick additional reploids he deems integral to uncovering more information on 'Zero's design. So far he has recruited the reploids Alia, Metal Shark Player, and Split Mushroom. 

Sigma watched from behind two way glass as X trained with Storm Eagle. The Commander had been monitoring his progress, sharing the results with Dr. Cain in between his excavations. It felt as though they were trying to discover the secrets of the respective androids that had yet to be properly scanned by any of their researchers. He made sure the elderly human had proper support, including several body guards he had discretely chosen out on the off chance of a maverick outbreak.

It seemed as though there hadn't been any major spikes in maverick activity since the red android had been restrained. The numbers were steadily falling, giving ample time for recruiting and training hunters. Sigma placed a hand on Velguarder, the mechaniloid dozing into standby mode close at his hip.

It stressed the Commander that he couldn't relax during an almost peaceful time period. X was making progress, but he still showed signs of indecision that frustrated other members of their unit. Storm Eagle was a rare exception, he somehow was programmed with infinite patience for most tasks. With time Sigma was sure X would prove himself, if they could all take from Eagle's example and remain calm in the mean time it would pay off. 

For now, Sigma would take a break from his studies and review the progress made with the red android. The commander would leave Velguarder to record the remainder of the sparing session, pressing a latch on the back of the mechaniloid wolf's ear that would ensure he remained on while he was away. He looked down at X before leaving, giving the young hunter a nod of approval at his performance. The blue android responded with a small smile and his own nod in response, happy to be a member of the team. 

Making his stride down the hallways of Hunter Base, Sigma felt somewhat better since the blue android had made the transition into his ranks. He tried to remind himself that progress was progress, no matter how small the increments, much as he would any of the reploids in his unit. 

X represented infinite potential. Sigma smiled to himself, the future should hold those sentiments. As he learned more about the android and the hope held by his creator, the commander found himself going along with those type of thoughts. 

In time, maybe he'd believe them enough to feel at ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lot of liberties are taken since there's a clusterfuck of a ripple effect with Sigma not becoming a maverick :v


	2. Meeting Up with The Doctor

Sigma arrived at Dr. Cain's research base in the same desert they discovered Zero. The old archaeologist's team made quick work digging into the Earth, finding deep below remnants of what was once a large tower. Whatever records had been kept inside weren't so damaged to the point of not being salvageable, Dr. Cain had been lucky to find some notes left on a computer that gave information on Zero. That bit of promise was a big motivator for Sigma's trip out here, that and to report on X's previous mission.

Dr. Cain pulls at the tip of his beard, a human habit that Sigma is familiar with coming before the old man would give a lecture. 

“This is the first discovery I've made that filled me with this much resentment toward Mankind....”, there's a deep frown while the old man speaks. “This man was full of jealousy, it seems his entire motivation revolved around a bitter rivalry with X's creator. I fear the android you discovered was a model made around the same time as X, which explains why it's been impossible for anyone to fully understand his design.”

Sigma frowned, he suspected anyone who had created a robot that violent had to be motivated by something. As an early reploid, he counted it a blessing he didn't contract jealousy as one of the few emotions he was capable of processing. He'd seen how it made other reploids act, Vile came to mind. But even Vile was a reploid that could be contained by Sigma with the right amount of physical subjugation. Zero was something else altogether. 

“Where does that leave us with the android he left behind?”, Sigma asks. It wasn't time to panic, he told himself. If it were a hopeless situation the old man wouldn't be so dry about it. 

“It means there's a possibility the technology we have is too primitive to fully understand Zero. I fear if he were to awaken any time soon, a team of reploids without you nearby won't stand much of a chance. His mechanics focus primarily on offense, he's less well rounded than X but his damage capabilities make him a threat that should be monitored constantly. 

That being said, it also let's us know how to stop him if he does awaken prematurely. You were lucky you escaped from there with you mind intact, Dr. Wily left a different kind of defense mechanism in place of giving Zero stronger physical defenses.”

Dr. Cain exhaled, looking carefully at Sigma. Whatever deity was up there spared much blood shed by protecting his most prized reploid. He continued his report,

“The maverick virus was implanted into Zero. In effect, he is the first maverick ever created, having broken the first law of robots as a part of his design. No doubt, he was meant to destroy Mega Man X then to shortly after attack the humans who either had created him had they somehow been alive, or....” He trailed off, knowing that Sigma would understand his meaning. He ran his fingers through his beard, then placing both hands on his cane knocked on the ground in conclusive emphasis. 

Sigma nodded his head, he suspected as much. A maverick that hell bent on destroying everything would make quick work of humanity if left unattended. 

“Gate is competent enough, he's not a push over either in combat.”

Dr. Cain looked up at Sigma, raising an eyebrow.

“Are you telling me this to reassure me? Or yourself?”

Sigma laughed at his creator's observation, trying to relieve his own nerves more than finding his joke humorous. Dr. Cain smirked at him, knowing well the way his reploid's mind worked. 

Dr. Cain looked him over, satisfied with the upgrades that had been made on his body since his repairs. More maneuverability for his joints so he could accelerate at a faster rate, reinforcements made to his physical prowess. Sigma was his greatest creation, but even with improvement the old archaeologist felt it was nowhere near the level of craftsmanship that X held. 

“Now that I've adequately created more fear for your processors to analyze, how is X handling himself? He hasn't visited me for some time”, the old man tried to get the reploid onto a more enjoyable topic between the two of them. 

Sigma smiled at him, “He does great when he's partnered with the right reploids, you should be proud. He works hard and catches on quickly, the navigators love working with him”

Dr. Cain watched him, smiling with his eyes. “But, you seem to be saying....”, the old man chuckled.

Sigma continued, “....but he spends a great deal of time wondering if there are better ways to handle situations outside of fighting, even when a situation has no other options.”

Dr. Cain tapped the floor with his cane once more. “Isn't that exactly what I told you was his greatest asset? Perhaps to the average reploid they would be quick to draw a weapon, but X----”

“Yes, X is special, I will never refute you in that regard. I also have hope for his prowess, and I understand you sir but when my men have been killed by some red lunatic that no one could've possibly predicted existing it leaves a lot for my mind to deal with that makes it frustrating if, heaven forbid, X were to face an opponent such as Zero and he hesitated for even one second----” 

Sigma didn't finish his outburst, heaving as his body released coolant through out his system. He hadn't meant to let his frustration be shown, he was usually better at keeping himself composed. It might be because he was still recovering from his own bruised ego having almost lost in combat to Zero, and being in the safety of only his creator's presence. If X were to be killed in battle, then effectively all hope was lost. They would lose their one light meant to help navigate a world that still struggled with war. 

That was one of Sigma's greatest fears that he both thanked and cursed his creator for having him inherit. Yes, X could worry about ethics but Sigma worried more practically. He knew losing reploids and lowered moral meant they were all weaker in the long run, and more likely to be destroyed by mavericks. Or potentially humans deem reploids as a whole too dangerous and have them all deactivated permanently. 

Dr. Cain knew all of this, which was why he was unfazed by Sigma's outburst. To the reploid's credit, Dr. Cain was more surprised that Sigma didn't break down more often. It was a relief that he still had his moments of breakage, something that another scientist might consider a flaw in a reploid, Dr. Cain considered an asset. He wondered if perhaps that was how Dr. Light might have felt, before reprimanding himself for comparing an unintentional bonus to a patiently coordinated craftsmanship. 

Once his internal temperature is back to equilibrium, Sigma relaxes his posture. He clears his throat, looking at Dr. Cain once more. He's grateful the old man doesn't fear him, it would make it harder to be honest in these moments.

“So Dr. Wily created Zero as a rival android to X? That'd be interesting if I didn't know what Zero was capable of versus X's capabilities at this moment. Right now, we should all hope Zero never wakes up.”

Sigma pauses, a message is sent to his servers from one of his intelligence units. X got into a scuffle with Vile again, but the young hunter handled himself well before the two were broken apart. He smiled while reading the report.

“Well Dr. Cain, it seems you're doing well down in this hole you've dug yourself into. We'll be in touch, I'm returning to Hunter H.Q. now”

Dr. Cain returned the warm expression. 

“Give X my regards, as well as the others. Once we've sucked the place dry I might come over to see how the units are progressing without my influence. I would hope you never go soft on them, Sigma.”

The reploid towered over his creator, but he felt like his equal in this moment. He laughed in reply, making his way out of the old man's office.

This was the closest Sigma felt to relief for some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so like, I have an entire lay out of how this story will go with chapter summaries to go off for each chapter so I'm not completely wringing it. But also I'm mostly wringing it when it comes to these, I hope you enjoy...*gestures vaguely* whatever the fuck this is. For the people here mostly for eventual xzero romance, it will come! Not for a little while, there's world building to this shit so bare with me and enjoy the x1-x6 cameos along the way.


	3. Enter Maverick Hunter X

X was still feeling proud of himself for how well he performed in his sparring match with Boomer Kuwanger. The older maverick hunter was one of the stronger members of Sigma's unit, usually it was only his brother who kept up with his extensive training sessions. It felt good that X could hold his own. Storm Eagle was strong in his own right, but had his own duties to attend to within his respective unit. The blue android felt bad relying on him too much for practice. 

To his surprise, Storm Eagle had been one of the on lookers for this spar. Standing next to him were Douglas and another reploid he recognized from the air force, most likely going over design plans for the unit. It always made him self conscious when there was more than few reploids monitoring his matches, but Sigma had said it was usually a good sign if people outside of his unit became interested in his progress. 

“Storm Eagle! What brings you down here?” X was still running on the extra energy in his system from the fight, so he realized the reploids in front of him were probably smiling at his enthusiasm. 

“I wanted to touch base with Boomer Kuwanger, it's good to keep information moving between units. That and I couldn't resist seeing you put to use some of the advice I shared. I'm impressed, good job holding your ground out there”, The bird reploid was smiling at him, it was nice to receive praise from the usually stoic leader of the air force. He was glad the older reploid had been one of the positive influences in his progress, he tried to fight down any doubts in his performance. He knew Eagle wasn't the type to give away compliments easily. 

Boomer Kuwanger emerged, maneuvering his shoulders to release tension in his synthetic joints. He was in better shape than X, but it wasn't easy keeping the other hunter at bay these days. It made things more interesting, the beetle reploid was coming to understand what their Commander saw in the blue android. He gave casual salute to Storm Eagle and the other reploids, giving X a look that meant he was free to go. 

X released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in, he was starting to feel the effects of multiple boomerang collisions on his frame. Making his way down to the medical bay for maintenance, he took a short stop to glance into the navigators' center control. He was glad he did, he had heard earlier that week that some researchers would stop by and there was Alia talking with some of her former colleagues. She glanced up and X caught her eye, giving him a smile before going back to her conversation. It didn't surprise X she was back to working with Gate, she was an amazing operator but even better when it came to research and analysis. She sent him a message over his server letting him know they'd catch up later before she had to leave. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A female reploid dressed as a researcher looked down at the resting chamber. It had restrictions applied to the cockpit to ensure no one could open it without extensive approval from several higher ranking scientists, but she wasn't worried about that part too much. It would be harder making her escape than it would be releasing the red reploid inside.

That was a misnomer on her end, her mind's voice reminded. He was made before 'reploids', he was an android. She looked over her specs one last time, reviewing every bit of information she had from the laboratory's map information so she knew the fastest route to take once the robot was freed. She had it memorized long ago, but she still liked to look over her plans before jumping into it.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she took out her combat needles in preparation. She had already leaked the information about the virus being worked on to Maverick H.Q. and Repliforce in warning. She hoped the damage done from what she did right now would be worth it in the end. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X liked the place for himself he had made among the Maverick Hunters. Truthfully, he still had his doubts when it came to what Sigma saw in him. He didn't like fighting, but he was competent when the need arises. Least, that's how he thought of himself. There were moments he regretted, it had been a while back but it still hung in his mind. Back in his rookie days, there had been incident with one of his teammates. A mechaniloid insect had been attacking a city, a unit of new hunters were sent alongside Sigma's squad. It was to provide them with on the ground experience, with plenty of onsite monitoring in case it proved too difficult for them to handle. Somehow the mechaniloid managed to trap a member of the new unit under a talon in such a way that it was difficult to get a good shot in. 

X had precision better than most reploids and he should have been able to make the shot, he was capable of deploying a charge shot that would've taken out the mechaniloid with ease. But the risk of killing the reploid alongside it was present, enough to make X take too long thinking over his actions. If Sigma and his men hadn't been there....

There might have been unnecessary casualties because of X's misjudgment.

It was a learning experience, and his teammate thankfully didn't hold any resentment towards X for it. That didn't make the android feel better, no matter how many times he tried to remind himself that they were able to get out of there alright. Too many reploids get hurt as it is, X never wanted to feel helpless like he did in that moment again. He counted it as a streak of good luck that Maverick outbreaks had been a rarity since the quarantine of the red android Sigma found before X's time. It was more of a ghost story at this point among the ranks, X never went out of his way to learn information on the subject but once he was recruited to Sigma's unit it was brought up a few times. 

One occasion that stuck out with him the most was after a scuffle with Vile. The purple reploid was a strong maverick hunter, he was respected but also feared due to his antisocial attitude. It seemed he especially didn't like X, something that confused the blue android but he didn't spend too much time worrying over when he wasn't around the reploid. X doesn't quite remember the full event at this point. It didn't really matter, he thinks it had something to do with the android asking if Vile could pass him something. One thing led to another, and X was being shoved into a wall with an elbow lodged against his respiratory system and threats being made over how the rookie maverick hunter shouldn't 'think of himself as hot shit'. 'Not every robot will like you' was the closest thing he got to reasoning from Dr. Cain when he asked for clarification on how to interact with reploids so as to avoid those type of confrontations. 

After managing to protect himself, X asked Sigma what difference a bad temperament like Vile's had from a full blown maverick. The Commander laughed when he heard X's explanation of what lead up to their disagreement. Sigma didn't give him much of a response either, saying that was simply Vile's way and not to take it too personally. After the Commander had walked away, Boomer Kuwanger mentioned that their leader's lack of reaction was because he had faced much worse. 

That surprised X, back then he was in the same category as reploids when it came to believing no one could touch Commander Sigma. The summary he was given was that before X became a hunter, there had been a red maverick who was created earlier than most reploids. It was activated at some point then proceeded to make life hell for any reploid that went near his territory. Many lives were lost until Sigma took matters into his own hands. 

The situation was handled, but Sigma came back in pieces. It was the one time the beetle reploid ever could think of that he worried about the Commander. The stress that was caused at Hunter H.Q fell into the background after Sigma was repaired and given upgrades, making his strength beyond their levels prior. Though no one could confirm if the red maverick ever appeared again that Sigma would be able to take him on with ease, it was still the general sentiment passed along. Most likely it was to keep morale from dropping, an ever present problem that took the effort of all their members.

X wondered how the Commander managed to hold it all together. Dr. Cain equipped him with the most advanced reasoning, but X was curious if he'd be able to help people with the same amount of composure as Commander Sigma. 

The android reached the medical center, letting his dents from battle collision speak for themself as a Lifesaver ushered him into the nearest available room. He was glad he wouldn't need to speak much, replying mechanically when asked which locations of his body needed to be looked at. 

The mavericks he's faced and keeping Vile at arm's length....that was the extent of his experience, but it still felt like nothing. As his dents were pulled back into place with magnets and scratches were covered up, X thought of his place in the grand scheme of maverick hunting. He was almost relaxing into his repairs, borderline dozing into standby mode. Suddenly there was a flash in his servers, warning of a breach in the research facility overlooked by Gate. 

Alia appeared in X's room shortly after, her face grave. 

“X! You need to come with me, I'll fill you in on everything along the way”

He didn't need to think of a response, already up from his seat and ignoring the Lifesaver's protest to X leaving before his repairs were completely finished. The blue android was at 90-95% optimal strength, he hoped that would be fine to help stabilize the situation once he got there. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Why am I still alive' was the first thought Zero had. It was odd being lucid for the first time....ever

Zero felt like he was waking up from a long slumber, whenever his previous activation had been was foggy in his memory banks. It gave the impression it could have been a bad dream, but he doubted he would be kept in such a tight confinement if that were true. In all his existence, he only had vague memories of consciousness fading in and out. There were scattered visions of red fluids on his hands, screams, and faces that he wouldn't be able to recognize even if they appeared in front of him now. 

Feelings stuck out the most to him, excitement at the sight of robots running away from him after losing in combat. Anger at a large android that somehow managed to give him trouble in a fight, a warped sense of glee when he gained the upper hand. These were fleeting, he doubted he'd be able to remember the full string of events leading to his arrival at this location. 

In an attempt to get a feel for his surroundings, Zero moved around the room to one of the computers. It was dark, his eyes adjusted into night view so he could navigate himself. Someone must have hacked into the servers before his release, it shouldn't have been this easy to gain access. He made a mental note to figure out who was behind his reactivation later, right now he would gather as much information as he could about where he was being kept. Reading through files, he learned this was a research facility that previously focused on 'reploid' (a new term for his data banks) biology but now was focused on efforts to better understand Zero's design. He doubted it entailed him being activated again, judging by the notes he was browsing through.

There was research performed on him and the area he had been found. Attempts were made to come up with his history, an image of his creator and some of his drafts for Zero were kept in files he quickly scanned as he searched through the large computer. An image of a blue android appeared in one of his creators notes, but most of the files Zero found were so faded from age he could barely make out most of the words. His eyes adjusted to improve his scanners, with some persistence he was able to gain a basic idea of when he was created, but nothing conclusive on why. What objective had he been meant to carry out? The scientists here had left notes on the sidelines with similar sentiments.

There was more information on his first activation. He was an outlaw, reploids called those type of criminals 'mavericks'. He read a brief summary of his encounter with the large reploid, though it confused him why someone he almost destroyed would request medical treatment for Zero after their fight. He was getting frustrated at the events that seemed to be happening without his agency or knowledge. 

Zero had been so focused on copying the data to his memory banks he dimly realized an alarm was blaring in the background. It's delayed reaction wasn't lost on him, whoever had released the red android must've planned it this way in the hopes Zero would be long gone by the time it went off. 

He noticed his buster and a saber were left for him nearby, weapons left over from his creator that someone had graciously made easy to access. Placing the saber into a latch in his back then clinking into place his buster, Zero tried to think what mode of action he should take. He wasn't as keen on tearing apart reploids as he might've been prior to his awakening, he'd figure out later what had changed in his programming. For now, he needed to find an exit as discretely as a wanted criminal could. 

Before Zero could make any course of action, a team of reploids appeared. The purple one Zero assumed to be a leader in their group, based on him barking orders to the others on how to apprehend the red android. 

He sighed before placing a hand on his saber's handle. This wouldn't take long.


	4. Encounter between X and Zero

It had been a couple of weeks since the outbreak at the research facility. X had made it to the location when it was first hit, but didn't arrive in time to catch the red android. By then, Gate and members of his squad had been beaten into critical condition. From the few reploids who maintained consciousness, apparently their efforts were thwarted so quickly it was hard for most operators to analyze the camera footage.

Alia was taking this personally, though X reminded her there was little she could have done had she been there at the time. The reploid scientist was still blaming herself for not taking more precautions. She spent most of her time at Hunter H.Q. now, spending many restless nights trying to predict where the red android will appear next. All other activities were suspended indefinitely. 

Repliforce was lending it's assistance in the meantime, their own operators were also looking into any criminal activity that might give them a lead. The General was one of the few reploids around at the first activation of the red maverick who knew how dangerous the situation could get, he had been quick to reach out to the Hunter Commander in collaboration. 

X wanted to check in on Alia, surprised to find Iris among other navigators currently on duty in place of the scientist reploid. She smiled up at him, saying something to a colleague before moving up to speak with X.

“She passed out from low energy, apparently she had been ignoring the warnings from her system. She should be back in a couple of hours.”

X nodded to the Repliforce operator, she was a good choice to help out in Alia's absence. It made him worried that his friend was at the point of ignoring her own system maintenance, but he couldn't lie and say he wouldn't do the same thing if his own unit had been under attack. 

“Any leads?” he asked, noting how tired Iris looked as well. It seemed no one was resting properly during this stressful period. 

“There have been some reports of theft from different warehouses, it's scattered so it appears the reploid knows what he's doing....my brother and all his units have been scouting the region non-stop”, she looked down as she replied. X noticed she had one of those faces that were always slightly somber, but it looked more pronounced when she did that. “There was a note left by Alia for you, there is a specific storage area she wanted you to look into. She labeled it as a low possibility, but she mentioned something of a 'gut feeling'. She said you would know what that means.”

X smiled, it was like his friend to make predictions that were accurate somehow before she could provide the necessary evidence. Alia had never been wrong, but it didn't surprise him she would want X to hold off on jumping in before she could make a solid case for sending resources into a potentially dangerous operation. 

This wasn't a normal maverick, so X made a decision from his instincts. He looked at Iris, his eyes narrowed in determination.

“I'm going now, let Alia know when she arrives I'll give her a full report when I return.” 

Her eyes widened, but she knew better than to argue against X's motivations. 

“Good luck X, please contact us if you need backup at any time.”

He nodded at her before turning away, running to the garage to get on his motorcycle. He had the coordinates, he set the navigation in his system to find the quickest route. Even if it was a slim chance, it was something he could work off of. 

He refused to let any more reploids get hurt. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His mind was at a blank on the ride to the warehouse. Most storage units had been evacuated since information on the red maverick's release spread. There would be a few reploids kept at each location, primarily those who could handle combat, alongside Hunters and Repliforce soldiers. This one wasn't being monitored at all, it was considered too out of range for the red maverick by the operators. Perhaps it's abandonment was why Alia gave the building a second glance, he'd most likely get her full reasoning later. 

It'd be interesting if he could provide his own information once he got back. He left his motorcycle on standby near the entrance for quick access.

He dashed through the building as silently as he could, grateful for his creator making him a lightweight compared to most androids. He scanned efficiently each room, his servers coming to halt when he realized there was activity up ahead. He raised his buster, readying himself for anything as his senses sharpened to catch every sound around him. 

He stopped in his tracks once he entered a room and standing in front of him was a reploid he didn't recognize. It seemed he was expected despite his best efforts to hide his presence, the maverick was facing him. 

X narrowed his eyes, glaring at the maverick in front of him. This was the first time they were meeting, he thought to himself. He wasn't sure how to feel about it, a part of his server was getting overloaded with anxious thoughts. Dr. Cain's research confirmed that the creator for this Maverick was his own creator's greatest enemy, this Maverick being special in that it had been created with the specific task of destroying X. 

Deep down, X recognized that he was afraid of fighting this android. He was unlike any of the reploids he had met, and from what he heard within HQ hunter gossip this was the only robot to ever be able to rival Commander Sigma in combat. From the small information he learned about that incident long ago from the Commander himself, this android was potentially stronger. 

X kept a hand on his buster to keep himself steady, he couldn't lock up out of fear now. He was completely motionless, the silence around the two androids was eerily noticeable given that neither of them was moving. It would've been less unsettling had there been some form of background noise. The sound level encompassing what could be a battle zone was right now at a zero.

Zero....

His name was Zero, there was a Z emblem on one of his broad shoulders appropriately.

His bright red armor was a stark contrast to his own blue, the accents of white and black giving him more color. He also had long blonde hair tied back in what his memory banks made reference to samurai type ponytails. It was odd, another opposite to the short brown hair he had under his helmet. He found himself staring more out of curiosity than fear of an attack as he realized the other wasn't going to throw the first attack. His anxiety was diminishing the longer the two stood at an impasse.

There were harsh blue eyes studying him with the same intensity. He wondered what the maverick might be thinking of him, perhaps underestimating his combat capabilities due to his smaller frame. He'd used that kind of thought process to his advantage before when facing lesser threats. X was slightly relieved that whatever he was facing right now wasn't the same as the rabid maverick his commander had faced years ago, perhaps that was why he felt his fears getting smaller by the second. 

The android in front of him was mirroring his own combat stance with a reserved hand lingering over what looked like a sword handle. Based on the reports Alia had given X, Zero was an expert in both melee and wide ranged attacks. He had a buster similar to his own, but based on further analysis had power capabilities that surpassed his X Buster. A way to make up for not having a weapon copy ability and some minor weakness in his armor, X thought to himself. He wondered further if that meant Zero was too advanced to use his copy ability on, for some reason he was hesitant to scan the red android in front of him. Why was it difficult to do what was routine for any opponent he faced?

Maybe because he knew this was something special. A 'fated' battle as the reports dug up on Zero stressed. X had been studying everything made available to Hunter H.Q. since the hunt was announced to capture the red android. Dr. Wily was an evil man with a disturbing mind, although much of his history still had blank slots. From what had been gathered, most of the conflicts created during that time frame was caused by Dr. Wily. 

But what did that mean about the android X was facing now? There wasn't the maniacal laughter and animalistic grunts he had heard about. No hands covered in blood-like android internal oil caused by the slaughter of many, nothing that would set off his sensors to tell him there was a threat in front of him. Upon further scanning of his current situation, X almost dropped his buster due to his wiring being prone to stop violence if it wasn't necessary.

Almost, but he was glad training under Commander Sigma was proving helpful here. He kept his hand on his buster, watching steadily. If it meant they never had to fight, X was fine to stand here in this position forever. 

The robot in front of him was perfectly composed, not having moved a centimeter since keeping his hand near his weapon. For all he knew, Zero's reasoning probably was similar. It was an odd thought to have considering this was supposed to be a war machine, a combat robot that could kill squads of reploids with ease. 

X couldn't help thinking that his face didn't look like a killer's. The thought came out of nowhere and it took a couple of minutes for X to really register it. In an odd way, he started getting the impression this android didn't want to fight either. Or if he did, maybe not with X.

But wouldn't that go against his programming? Shouldn't he be elated he could fulfill his creator's wishes in this moment? X might have been projecting his desires, it wouldn't make any logical sense for this android to not be combat inclined.

And yet, his thoughts reminded him, Zero hadn't technically harmed any reploids since his escape. Notably, he hadn't caused any deaths either. Gate and a few other researchers were in critical condition, but that was because they had attacked first. The footage that was retrieved after the event showed the android almost trying to rush around the researchers to avoid any conflict.

It was hard to say what Zero was after, before his capture he would stay in the same region. His behavior at the time seemed to imply he would only look for more opponents to fight. This was different, which was what made it so difficult for the navigators to pick up on a pattern. The only crimes that could have been attributed to the red android were a few thefts for supplies, maintenance equipment or replacement internal fluids and coolants. Nothing that would merit termination on the level of a maverick. 

So....should X be categorizing the android in front of himself as a maverick then?

He didn't know how much time had passed with the two just staring at each other wordlessly. If something were to happen, X realized he would have to take the initiative. Though he was hesitant to make a move in the fear of causing a fight to break out, he would have to do something. If he prolonged his stay here, eventually Commander Sigma would send out more hunters. That definitely would lead to a fight. Keeping his focus at sharp, X tried to pick his words carefully.

“What are your goals? Return to Hunter H.Q with me or you will be labeled a Maverick.”

It sounded less harsh in his head, he realized after speaking to the red android for the first time. He hoped the other didn't take offense.

Zero's eyes narrowed, his first emotion to be shown to the blue Maverick Hunter was a smirk. Was he laughing at him? The red android dropped his hand from his weapon's handle.

“I'm not a Maverick already? Then what am I?”

X didn't realize the contradictory nature of his words, having realized that internally he already stopped considering Zero a Maverick based on their introduction. Zero's voice was almost playful, it was more arrogant than X's own and deeper. The differences felt more aesthetic than anything. They must've been programmed to be around the same age, X thought to himself.

The Maverick Hunter wasn't sure how to respond to the android in front of him. If X said he didn't want to fight the red android, he would be reprimanded later when he returned to H.Q. Worst case scenario, Sigma would kick him off of his unit for insubordination. But maybe he didn't have to fight the android in order to bring him back? 

Looking carefully at him, he thought perhaps he should try scanning Zero now. Although there was still great difficulty among the researchers back at H.Q. when it came to scanning Zero, X hoped whatever engineering Dr. Light had done to his equipment would give him a better understanding. 

After a few moments of scrambled attempts at reading the other android, X realized Zero had been attempting to scan him from the start. They couldn't read each other, a potential design choice by their respective creators to keep the other from having an edge in a fight. 

Zero was still wearing a light smirk, it seemed as though he was amused at the situation. His eyes never left X but his hands moved to rest one against his hip, his stance opening up casually. 

“I guess if I was a Maverick you would've tried something by now...”, he said without emotion. He was frowning now but without the seriousness of before. A complete neutral that had X lowering his buster without realizing it. 

Almost without realizing it, the Maverick Hunter snapped out of his lowering defenses and quickly retook his combat stance.

“You need to return to the base with me!” He tried to make himself sound intimidating, he hoped the confusion in what he should do couldn't be heard in his words. 

He took the red android's lack of reaction to his demand as a sign that he didn't catch it.

“I heard you the first time, and what would they do with me if I did?” he said coldly. The amusement was gone, but he wasn't raising his defenses back up like X had. He wasn't treating X like a threat, something that both annoyed and relieved the blue android. 

“You hurt a lot of people before, there are researchers trying to figure out what made you do it. Right now, no one knows what you're capable of so we need you to stand down until safety can be ensured!” It was the best X could come up with, but he as he spoke he noticed the android crossing his arms. He wasn't happy with what he was being told.

“Can I ask you a question?” Zero said softly, there wasn't resentment in his reply to the Maverick Hunter. He spoke again before X could reply.

“If you were me, would you turn yourself in?” Zero looked him in the eye while asking this question. It was odd, X wasn't used to being communicated with so calmly in this type of setting. In his gut he realized that this type of introspection wasn't possible for a Maverick, least none that he'd ever faced. 

X didn't know how to answer him, he felt a twinge of remorse at the way Zero closed his eyes in quiet isolation. Loneliness was an emotion programmed into himself by Dr. Light, meant as means for X to think positively in communal settings. He was an android that enjoyed the company of others and put value in his comrades. The concept of friends was there in his memory banks, images of Alia, the Commander, Iris, and members of Hunter H.Q. came to mind. 

There was always someone he could look forward to seeing around the corner at Hunter Base or even within the Repliforce ranks. For that reason, X choose to be around others rather than working alone.

The red android didn't exactly have any personal gain in going back, he would be locked away in hibernation again then studied by strangers indefinitely. Thinking further into it, there were some hunters that genuinely had no emotional ties to others, but there was a direct overlap with them and Maverick behavior. Zero didn't have any other choice, he had been out of his mind when he was first awoken and promptly being put in a position to be shut down until he was deemed fit for interaction with others. 

X lowered his gaze from Zero for the first time in their meeting. He didn't turn his buster off, but it was lowered. He must've been out of his mind if he was willing to take this kind of risk, but he'd have faith in the reasoning Dr. Light bestowed him with. 

He was making the judgement call to find a compromise. It would be hard to make a case on Zero's behalf given his attack on the researchers who had been monitoring him while he was in hibernation. Alia said she was surprised at him showing mercy when she viewed the footage. Gate had tried to fight the red reploid and paid a heavy price alongside his unit. If they could get him online again, he doubted he'd be open to the idea of labeling Zero anything other than a maverick. 

Before he could come up with an option for Zero, the red android was sighing in preamble.

“I can't go with you, that's my answer. I don't remember anything about myself so I can't exactly give an explanation that would make anything I did acceptable.”

X was sure the other could see the hurt expression on his face, but Zero didn't show his own emotions.

“I need to find answers for myself...”, Zero continued. At those words, a hand quickly moved to grab his Z saber's hilt in warning, “...and I won't let you take me back until I've found them!”

Before X could raise his buster he was being pushed back by the larger android, his movements quicker than previous opponents or even training with his commander. The Maverick Hunter fell to the ground but he stabilized himself enough to aim his buster, jumping back to a fighting stance and facing the red android. Zero had done a back flip jump, giving X a hard glare before beginning to dashing off. X didn't waste any time following him.

“---Wait! Stop, they'll send more hunters after you!”, X uselessly yelled after him while making the chase. He was capable of keeping up with Zero, even with the red android cutting down cargo boxes and utilities onto his path to get in X's way. “This will only make it harder for you! I want to help you!” X shouted, trying to make some kind of a connection with the other android.

The blue android shot everything out of his way so he could keep sight on Zero, though it was becoming more difficult to keep up as the other became more desperate and pushed anything he could behind him. 

Eventually a tunnel lead to a dead end, and for a brief moment X felt that he could try to make the other android come back so they could find a way together. Almost, it was a nice thought in the moment. However, he noticed in a panic that Zero wasn't in front of him anymore. 

X didn't even register his mind going blank at Zero knocking him out with a blunt hit from the hilt of his blade to the back of the head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my attempt at capturing x's lovable idiocy


	5. Confrontation in the Desert

Zero was quick on his departure after he knocked X unconscious. He refused to waste his energy thinking over what the android said, he needed to get out of here before any reploids decided to show up. He had been successful in grabbing some supplies, a sling was hung around his shoulder carrying maintenance equipment that would last him a few more weeks. The red android would need to lay low for a while, he couldn't risk this type of confrontation again so soon.

If it was someone with more sense than the maverick hunter he just met, they would come prepared with backup to fight. Zero needed time to find leads on information about himself, but it was difficult making any progress when he was spending the brunt of it running away from reploids. It didn't help matters that now their intel would know Zero would be branching further out for resources. He might have to waste some time creating false leads to get them off his trail, at least for a little while. He made it outside of the warehouse, but as he had been moving through the corridors his sensors alerted him there was a reploid waiting at the entrance. 

He skidded lightly on the sand as he came to halt, glaring at the large figure standing in front of two motorcycles. He had a wolf mechaniloid at his side, it was completely motionless with it's red eyes focused on Zero. He was smirking, his arms folded in front of him.

“You don't remember a thing, do you?” Zero didn't like how smug this reploid was when speaking to him, but he couldn't dispute him. His presence was familiar, but not nearly enough for Zero to be able to place when or how they met. The android's scanners told him this opponent was much stronger than most reploids, he wouldn't leave unscathed if they fought. 

“How long do you intend to keep this up, hm?” Commander Sigma made a gesture with his chin toward the warehouse, “You won't find isolated buildings like this very often.”

Zero crossed his arms, he really didn't like his odds in a fight with this reploid. By the looks of it, his own design had undergone several upgrades but there wasn't exactly any free time for the android to test his capabilities when there were maverick hunters breathing down his neck. 

Sigma chuckled to himself, seeing the indecision on the red android. He'd been alerted by the navigation center of X's departure, sending out Velguarder immediately to monitor him until Sigma could come to the location himself. It didn't take long for the Commander to reach X's coordinates, he was aware of what had occurred inside the warehouse. X's thoughtfulness, his ability to show mercy was put on full display. 

For once, it was not a cause for worry. Sigma was surprised by the entire exchange, seeing for himself the changes made to the red android. This was not the same maverick he fought, putting the Commander at ease for the first time in years. It also had given him an idea he was sure his subordinates would be confused by later on. 

“Zero, creation of Dr.Wily! What are your plans for the future?”

Zero looked at him carefully, unsure how to take his question. He'd answer him bluntly.

“I want to know why I was created. Who released me, and why did I...” 

The red android trailed off, unsure how to word it. Just thinking about how he acted when he was first activated filled him with shame. Sigma seemed to read his mind, nodding in understanding. But how could he understand how Zero felt? And why was he restraining himself from attacking the red android like that blue robot had?

“Alright, let's say you found the information you're looking for. What would you do after?” Sigma wasn't expecting much of a response from the red android, given by the rattled expression his words caused. Zero blinked, the thought of his future was the farthest thing from his mind. Being made to consider it now...There wasn't exactly much hope for him as a criminal. Eventually he'd have to destroy a hunter searching for him, or be destroyed himself. If he was captured, he would most likely be deactivated, perhaps permanently while researchers tore him apart. He didn't respond to the reploid but his silence spoke for itself. 

Sigma closed his eyes, still smirking.

“How about you join my team?”

Zero assumed he heard that wrong. His auditory processing didn't have any defects, but maybe the researchers that had dug around in his wiring fucked something up.

“Care to repeat that?” The red android noted the larger robot laughing at his request, most likely aware of how ludicrous it sounded.

“Instead of running around dodging my men, why not join us? You'd have to listen to our government, but they're fair. Our main objective is destroy any threats to humanity, and currently your history is of interest to us.” 

Zero let him continue, taking it all in with great difficulty.

“I can promise you it'll be hell working by yourself, we already have resources set aside looking into your creator as we speak. If you join us, you'd be a part of that effort and you wouldn't have to worry about being destroyed in the process. Least, you won't if you're any good at fighting...” Sigma left that last part open ended, more as a challenge. He already knew that Zero had untapped potential, he was leaving it up to the red android to make the decision to take this opportunity. If Zero didn't cooperate, Sigma had Velguarder by his side and most likely X would come to soon enough. He knew Zero knew who had the upper hand right now, but it wasn't a rematch that was at the front of Sigma's mind. This was Sigma's attempt to put X's ideals to the test. Internally, he hoped it would prove worthwhile. 

Zero dropped his arms, looking down at his hands. It's not like he wasn't capable of fighting robots. It would mean he wouldn't have to run around hiding, praying that he found a building with the resources he needed to keep going. Logically, he didn't have much of a decision to make. He took a deep breath, looking up to face Sigma. It might've been a defect or remnants from his creator's hot headed personality, but Zero didn't like the feeling of being strong armed into something. 

With a yell, he unsheathed his saber and rushed at the commander. Giving quick orders to Velguarder to stand down, Sigma met Zero head on with his own sword. They bounce off of each other, Zero preparing himself for his next attack by dashing to gain distance. Sigma smiled wickedly, not letting the android gain an inch. The large android moved faster than his size would imply, colliding with Zero again in seconds. Their swords hit over and over again, more than trying to cause critical damage it was the two robots testing each other's combat prowess. 

Zero realized quickly into their fight that Sigma wasn't trying to kill him. That put less stress on him, but he needed to find a way to disarm the reploid so he could make his escape. He had a bad feeling about his attack mechaniloid, he still hadn't used it yet and it was watching their every movement. 

Their blades met again, this time Zero pushed against the reploid in a stand off of physical strength. They were grunting, Zero was about to make a move to sweep kick Sigma but the commander was prepared, throwing a punch that sent Zero flying before the red android could make a move. Sigma dashed, pushing his exhausts passed their limit to ram himself into Zero then pull him by an arm. He maneuvered himself behind Zero to wrap his body into a headlock. Zero yelled in frustration, digging his arms into Sigma to try and break free. This lasted for several minutes, Velguarder being the only witness to the entire scuffle in perfect stillness. 

After a few more minutes of struggling, Zero came to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to be released anytime soon. He gave it one more attempt, focusing all his strength into trying to rip off Sigma's arm.

The Commander wouldn't fall for that again, twisting the red androids neck in such a way to make him lose consciousness. The android went from tense to completely limp in seconds, hanging loosely now in the reploid's arms. 

Sigma called Velguarder over, inputting a command sequence that turned the mechaniloid into a vehicle. It was similar to the bike Sigma rode, but with more support that he strapped the red android into. He programmed his wolf with instructions for H.Q on how to quarantine the android this time once he arrived. In seconds Velguarder's engine was running, the mechaniloid floating lightly above the ground before rushing off in the direction of Hunter H.Q.

That was one thing taken care of, the commander thought to himself, now he would go find X while scouting the area for any more activity. He glanced back at Velguarder far off in the distance, rapidly getting smaller. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at Hunter H.Q, professor Gate was just being released from the medical bay. He moved his body around, testing himself to get a feel for his recovery. He had been completely bested by the red reploid, but he shouldn't have been so surprised at his loss even with his advantage in terms of numbers. Gate had been the one in charge of his upgrades, overlooking the changes made by his scientists. He knew the android could wipe out units of men with ease before his modifications, this was Gate having to witness it firsthand.

The purple reploid looked over his surrounding, there were a few Lifesavers on computers. Gate couldn't say for certain when it was that his mind shifted. Was it after first opening the frontal structure of Zero? Or some time after, there were dozens of occasions where he and some of his men analyzed the reploid's inner mechanics for hours. It was during those countless days of labor Gate began to feel himself dissatisfied with the direction of his work. This grew into resentment, then bitterness at the people who used his research for lackluster purposes. Gate felt the constraints of working for humans coming down on him, feeling he would never reach groundbreaking levels when he was forced to focus on research deemed 'to the benefit of humanity'. He realized how dangerous his thoughts had become when he saw one of his scientists attack a human inspector who had come for a report on their research, and instead of reprimanding the subordinate Gate aided in hiding the evidence. 

From then on, he and the increasing number of infected researchers in his unit started a new research project. They learned what had been a large contributing factor in reploids turning maverick, a fascination that turned into an obsession with studying the maverick virus discovered in Zero's hardware. It was proving useful, they had managed to extract it from the reploid and put the collective structure of data into an isolated chamber. Efforts were split between attempts to reprogram Zero to become an asset in their goals and reverse engineering the maverick virus to understand it's entire structure. 

But there was a defector among his unit, perhaps someone was onto him and had sent a double agent of sorts to confirm. It didn't matter now, they had released Zero prematurely and manged to escape before Gate was all the wiser. Considering the scientist was free to go after the Lifesavers confirmed he was fully recovered, it didn't appear that Hunter H.Q was aware of Gate's allegiance shift. 

Exiting the final door from the medical area into the main building of Hunter H.Q, Gate saw Alia waiting for him with what looks like collection of mechanical flowers as a return gift. She was smiling brightly at him, Gate returned the warm expression. Although she wasn't a part of his underground efforts, Alia was still one of his most useful researchers. Internally, he was ecstatic to see her because she would prove useful for his next plan. Kindhearted Alia would be a key component in his upcoming operation and be able to keep her innocence at the same time. 

He placed both of his hands on her shoulders in a rare sign of affection, more than aware of how Alia viewed him. 

“It's wonderful to see you holding up so well in my absence, I hope you'll be efficient in filling me in. But before that, there's something I'd like to ask you in regard to the building security, it would appear someone had breached our security to release Zero. I'm worried about what the future has for us....”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X blinked a few times before he realized he had regained consciousness. He's face down but he moves himself over to sit upright, seeing his commander kneeling over him to scan his vitals. There's a seriousness to Commander Sigma reminding X that he's in unquantifiable amount of trouble, making it difficult to face his superior. 

The maverick hunter knew what he did was stupid, anyone with experience would know better than to run after a dangerous maverick without at least taking someone along for backup. There's a part of X that doesn't regret his actions, if he had brought a partner there was no way he would've been able to talk to the red android like he had in the moment. He feels guilt mostly, ashamed of the fact that it was his commander that he'd have to answer to for having let Zero get away. X's fault in judgment could potentially mean reploids would get hurt, he already knew how Sigma's lecture would begin. He pushes himself off the ground to stand up, sighing.

Before X can open his mouth, however, the commander is also standing up to speak. 

“It's a relief the most important hunter we have is alright. Good work locating Zero, X”

X looks Sigma in the face with his mouth slightly agape, unsure how to respond to that. He wasn't in trouble? And the commander was calling him the most important hunter? Did he miss something or was the commander that oblivious of X's failure? 

Sigma smirks upon seeing the confusion he's caused, X moved his mouth slightly in an attempt to formulate his questions but his mental processors couldn't come up with a coherent thought quick enough. 

“We've received reports from an outside agent that there's been maverick behavior occuring at the research facility Zero was being held in. What made him maverick has confirmed to be a virus, which was extracted from his programming to be made into a bioweapon. It would appear that Zero was also being modified to serve as an combat robot to be used in spreading their weapon once it was completed, but there was an unintended byproduct when they removed the maverick virus from Zero. 

The scientists working on him were unable to complete reprogramming Zero before our agent released him and in turn sent this information to our intelligence unit. It's still a cause of concern that Zero's attack capabilities have been increased, however based on my own experience with him I can safely conclude he is not at his full potential.”

Sigma paused for a moment to let the information sink in. He could tell he was overwhelming X, he'd give him a couple seconds to record the data into his memory banks for further analysis later. 

“Whoever had been working on Zero is planning some type of coupe, which means there are mavericks among our rankings. We need to be on our guard, I have no doubt in my mind that worst is coming soon. X, I need you to be ready to fight at a moment's notice. You can't go running off like this in the future, but I'm not going to punish you for what you did back there. The android you and I ran into today is not the same monster I met years ago.”

X felt himself suddenly clearheaded, his mind putting together the information Sigma had given him. That last part was of special note, it meant that Sigma's compliment earlier was genuine. He was being praised, not reprimanded. It was a relief, and it also had the maverick hunter looking at his commander with newfound admiration. 

“Thank you, Commander”, X said with a salute. “Does that mean we're not searching for Zero anymore?” 

It was cryptic how Sigma smirked, then X realized this was in reference to his commander mentioning he also had a run in with the red android.

Not needing a reply, X muttered “....understood” then walked over to his motorcycle for the long ride back to base. He was stopped by a hand placed on his shoulder, looking up to make eye contact with Sigma once more. 

“I'll put it to you this way, X. You'd have been more successful if you had my level of experience under your belt when it comes to persuasion.” 

Sigma pushed X to his bike, the aggression more of an affectionate gesture that X knew was the commander's way of letting him know they were on good terms. There were no more doubts in his mind, although he was worried about the coupe that could be underway. He'd make his own mental and physical preparations once he got back to hunter base.

X was mounting his bike as he watched Sigma ride off on his vehicle, getting a head start on the maverick hunter. 

X smiled as he watched him. He was proud to be following this reploid. Commander Sigma had told X once that their unit was a symbol of hope for reploids all over, in this moment he could really see it from watching his commander's back. He started his engine, glancing back at the empty warehouse. Maybe he'd learn how Zero had been made to go back to Hunter H.Q one day when the Commander felt it appropriate. Whatever they faced, it gave X confidence knowing he had a leader who somehow always found a way to get through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i laughed way too hard at 'he programmed his wolf', i want that on my grave


	6. Attack at Hunter H.Q

With the Maverick Hunters spreading themselves thin, Repliforce has been doing their best to assist in the pursuit of the red maverick. Colonel looked up at the sky dense with trees, taking casual steps in his patrol at the former location for the Reploid Anatomical Research Project. He had known some of the reploids recruited to work here, top men had been selected by some famous scientist for the sake of studying that maverick. His inner mechanism were an anomaly even compared to the most complex reploid, it was hard to turn a corner and not hear his troops bring the subject up in between casual conversation. 

Colonel had been particularly interested since the General told him the stories of entire units being destroyed by the red reploid's bare hands. It was heavily advised that no reploid pursue him alone, but the Colonel was internally hoping for a chance to fight the reploid one on one. That was the biggest reason why when recruitment for the research center's protection had been announced Colonel didn't waste any time in offering his personal hand in the manner. It had been too long since he had a decent opponent and if he could hold his own that would mean he was on equal footing with the General and Commander Sigma of the Hunters. The thought made him happy, not because he wanted to take his leader's place but it would prove he was strong. 

Strong enough to protect the people he cared about, the members of his unit and his sister. Iris had been working hard on her end, her navigation skills proven useful on more than a handful of occasions. She'd send her brother messages of her reports interlaced with cautioning him not to get in over his head if a threat were to appear. It filled him with pride, and even though times were tense he was glad to be working as a team. Colonel's responses typically included images of the places he would pass, the jungle base seemed to have new crevices for the large reploid to explore. It was two-fold, it showed his sister that he wasn't getting himself into danger and it was a pleasure for him to add new material to his information logs full of nature shots.

It was odd however that so much pressure was put into protecting this area, the Colonel would have thought it'd go against the red maverick's wishes to return to the place that held him captive. There were also unconfirmed rumors of mavericks undercover at the hunter base, something that had Colonel snorting when General told him. They were too trusting over there, their commander seemed to be fine recruiting anyone who could fire a weapon into their group. Those were Colonel's exact words to his superior. Although there was that part of his programming that hoped the researchers' worries of the red reploid's return held some truth, he was beginning to believe the threat would disappear in time. 

It was quiet for now, the Colonel felt at ease hearing the sounds of the wind in the trees. It was a nice change of pace to the mechanical white noise at Repliforce base. It was turning into another day where the Colonel would spend all of his time on patrol alone with his thoughts, taking in the scene filled with life so different than his own. 

A sudden explosion in the background rips the Colonel out of his relaxed trance. The reploid doesn't waste time with pulling his sword out, scanning his surroundings for the source. He flicks his head in every direction, maneuvering his feet quickly to cover his sides. He rushes back in the direction of the research facility, finding a few mechaniloids along the way that he recognizes immediately. Some of them looked remarkably like mechaniloids used by Maverick Hunters, but what did that mean? He doesn't leave himself open, so when a couple of rush loaders charge at Colonel he makes quick work of them with the flick of his wrist. 

It's then Colonel realizes he's been surrounded by mechaniloids, with more approaching from all sides. He notices a number of his men are spread out in an attempt to overpower the threat but it's a surprise attack, the time it took for the reploids to ready themselves into combat there was already damage being done. There's still a good portion of their unit inside of the base itself, making it difficult to gain the upper hand out of the shear magnitude of mechaniloids. They seem to keep appearing in greater droves, Colonel grunts in annoyance as he takes down dozens but it doesn't seem to make a dent in the enemy's numbers.

The Colonel cuts through as many mechaniloids as possible in the attempt to find a pattern, some direction to get to the leader of these mavericks. It's hard to tell where they're being lead, if there even is a goal in mind besides blatant destruction. He notices he's receiving a message, tapping in to hear if any navigators are analyzing the situation. Colonel is relieved to hear Iris's voice.

“Brother! We've located the reploid leading this attack, he's somewhere above you. He's not too far, I'm sending you his coordinates now--” At that moment the connection was broken but not before the map containing the leader Maverick's location is delivered. 

Colonel curses, whatever they were dealing with must have planned a joint attack that included Hunter H.Q. He prayed the hunters on duty would keep his sister safe, making quick work of the robots in his path. He'd make a run for it once he was finished here.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sigma growled in frustration, it wasn't difficult to take care of the mechaniloids swarming him. Tedious more than anything, it was a source of aggravation that he miscalculated when their base of operations would be attacked. It had only been a few days since the red maverick had been recaptured, this time personally oversaw by the commander and a small group of Lifesavers. He had wanted to keep it under wraps that the android had been brought back, trying to let the fires ignited from his criminal activity cool off before introducing him as a potential ally to his men. Dr. Cain was informed of course, the old man was interested to speak to the android once everything was in order to compare what Zero knew with his findings. It was difficult following a time line that left room for his unit to fully comprehend the commander's plans when a threat like this pushed forward.

Sigma moved quickly to destroy mechaniloids with ease as he skidded through the corridors. He wouldn't have any issue securing this building on his own, noting that the reploids in his vicinity were mostly non-combatant models. He was keeping his sensors open for contact between his men, knowing exactly where each member of his unit was currently located.

At the training center, Boomer Kuwanger was fighting alongside Gravity Beetle and Storm Eagle to secure the region. They had lost their composure briefly from the surprise attack, what had started as routine sparring matches was interrupted by the invasion. It quickly devolved into desperate clashes. The first of the confirmed mavericks were Sting Chameleon and Flame Mammoth, the duo crashing in with squads of reploids and mechaniloids. It seemed they were well equipped for overwhelming the Maverick Hunters, an advantage from whoever was in charge making the proper plans when choosing who to recruit for their purposes. 

It's difficult handling the unit of mechaniloids on top of the mavericks leading them, but they make the best with brute strength. Gravity Beetle makes a rush at Flame Mammoth after attempts to use his gravity spheres were ineffective, trying to avoid his fire wave along the way. He suffers damage from grazing the heat, but manages to force himself through. They collide, pushing against each other but Gravity Beetle is outmatched in terms of size and mass. He's being pushed back, Flame Mammoth laughing.

“You're not bad for a heavy weight, Beetle! But,” Flame Mammoth gives a particularly aggressive shove, sending Gravity Beetle flying. “You're still not even close to my weight class!”

Mammoth is laughing, taking his time in approaching the member of Sigma's unit. He was going to enjoy taking him apart, feelings of resentment of not being allowed to display his full strength coming to full surface after the mammoth reploid had been infected by the maverick virus. Boomer Kuwanger is looking on, trying to get his footing in order to help his brother but being pushed back by the mechaniloids that seem to be specifically targeting the maverick hunters so they couldn't fight together.  
Flame Mammoth raises his trunk, readying himself to burn the beetle reploid to death. Gravity Beetle closes his eyes, frustrated that this would be how he met his end.

Beetle realizes what was supposed to be his final thoughts is being interrupted by Flame Mammoth yelling in pain, his trunk had been cut off by a boomerang cutter. It wasn't his brother's, however. The design was slightly modified and it came from an angle that was too far from Boomer Kuwanger.

Gravity Beetle looked up to locate the source, who jumps down to join the other maverick hunters.

“Flame Mammoth! String Chameleon! What do you think you're doing?! Stop this pointless fighting, now!!”

X is standing in front of Flame Mammoth, his buster held steady with his other arm. He hadn't been aiming at the mammoth reploid's nose, the blue android was still getting the hang of how to properly aim the weapon he'd copied from training with Kuwanger. He's relieved it worked out, effectively shutting off Mammoth's fire wave ability. 

X takes a moment to glance back at Gravity Beetle, the beetle reploid giving him a thumbs up while he's helped back to his feet by Kuwanger. 

The collective of high ranking maverick hunters glare down their former colleagues, X can feel the rage boiling over inside him at the reploids who defected. It's upsetting he has to use his buster on former allies, but that won't affect his ability to fire. It was frustrating that they didn't have a way to deal with the maverick virus yet, so he'd have to fight. Gravity Beetle was damaged by Flame Mammoth's attack, but he still can help Boomer Kuwanger handle the mammoth reploid and the mechaniloids now that they didn't have to worry about his flames. 

Storm Eagle and X dash together, making eye contact once by the other's side. Eagle nods at him, they would need to come up with a strategy if they had any chance of handling these reploids before reinforcement arrived. 

“Come now, surely you don't need X's help to handle me yourself, Storm Eagle? I used to respect you, ya know...” Sting Chameleon sneers at the bird reploid. 

Eagle is glaring, he respected Chameleon too. He was never the eagle reploid's favorite hunter, but he was a capable fighter that was easy to work with once you learned how to ignore his quips. They had been recruited as hunters around the same time, so they had a little bit of a bond in terms of being in the same rookie unit. Needless to say, there were a lot of jealousy induced glares when Storm Eagle was promoted to be a leader for his own unit but Chameleon wasn't. The maverick virus seemed to amplify negative emotions, Eagle thought to himself.

“X! I want to try something out with you, I've only done it once before when I trained with Kuwanger. You were there that day, think you can follow my lead?”

The blue android remembered what the eagle reploid was referring to, catching on quickly. It'd be tricky for X to mimic how Kuwanger maneuvered himself but it might work. He gives Storm Eagle a salute, “I'll do my best!”

Sting Chameleon locks on to them with his left eye, preparing a Chameleon Sting. “Too bad your best was never up to snuff, runt!” the chameleon reploid yells while firing off.

Storm Eagle and X jump out of the way, Eagle yelling “Now!” while firing off a Storm Tornado. X shoots several Boomerang Cutters into the cyclone, sending them flying in all directions. It hits most of the mechaniloids and Sting Chameleon, giving Gravity Beetle and Boomer Kuwanger an opening to rush at Flame Mammoth with full force. 

In the midst of the fighting, there's a loud cough meant to call everyone to attention. 

It's enough to stop the reploids in place, Sting Chameleon freezing up when he sees Sigma smirking at him. This wasn't looking good.

Chameleon looks over at Flame Mammoth, they share an uneasy glaze. Flame Mammoth nods, they were at a severe disadvantage now. Neither of them could hold out for long in these conditions.

“Fall back for now! Retreat!” Chameleon gives the order, cloaking himself as he rushes out with the remaining mechaniloids and Mammoth close behind. X and Storm Eagle move to stay on their trail, but stop when Commander Sigma appears in front of them. 

“Let them off for now, we have bigger concerns. We're being attacked from every angle, we need to push out the enemy first then we can refocus our efforts on taking them down. There are civilians we need to protect still inside.”

X looks down at his buster, holding mixed feelings. He looks around at the damage done to their training center, it would be a while before it's operation was running again. The young maverick hunter does his best to keep himself focused on what needs to be done.

“Understood. We have some minor injuries here, but none of our reploids were destroyed.” Eagle responds for the both of them to the commander. 

Lifesavers with mechaniloids are rushing in to locate reploids in need who had been hiding out during the battle. Of the injured, Gravity Beetle is being helped onto a stretcher by Kuwanger. The situation was complicated, but it was looking like the invasion wouldn't turn into a worst case scenario. 

“We should split up, I'll stay in the building for now to secure its stability but I'll be on the move shortly. You and X should look around for more mavericks, notify me immediately if you run into anything. I don't care if you think you can handle it, right now I want to know every movement taken. Understood?” Sigma gives the orders with urgency in his voice. He's composed, but it's clear they were far from finished with protecting the base. 

X and Storm Eagle salute the commander, following his orders completely. They rush out in opposite directions

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the navigation center is barely being held together. Iris hid herself under a table while reploids who could fight were trying to hold back the mavericks trying to break through. Alia is one of few scientist reploids that also has combat capabilities, she located herself near Iris and some other operators behind the table. She was using it for cover in between firing shots. It's only her and two other navigators who can hold off the incoming enemy, Alia more so making sure she was near the operators who didn't have combat skills for their protection. The only thing keeping them safe from a complete onslaught was the barricade they had crafted using computers and desks, but it had openings that allowed some insect mechaniloids to squeeze through. Having scanned the surroundings, they knew there were much larger ones waiting patiently for the barricade to weaken before starting their rampage. There were a few bulldozer mechaniloids that worried Alia the most. She might be alright, but the operators next to her wouldn't stand a chance. 

Alia is growling as she fires off a string of shots to destroy the mechaniloids in the room, pissed for several reasons. A primal part of herself is grateful to have something to fire at to release some of her rage, but there's more complicated feelings she'll have to sort through later. She learned from quickly scanning the situation and the mavericks around her that the person leading the coupe had to be Gate. 

She couldn't believe her own stupidity. He had asked for the information under the guise that he wanted to ensure safety to his research and the hunters, something the researchers had mentioned even before Gate returned. Playing up that he was afraid of what the red maverick could do and because she never thought to question her superior, she gave him an entire layout of Hunter base. And now, everyone was in danger because she trusted the wrong reploid. She was prepared to take the blame entirely once everyone was safe and face Sigma's punishment accordingly.

She fired more shots, but it was difficult to maintain this rhythm when the barricade wasn't made to last for very long. For every one she destroyed, it seemed there were dozens more flurrying around. Iris screamed at an especially loud bang coming from outside that shook the room. One of the bulldozer mechaniloids was taking advantage of the barricade weakening and starting to ram itself against the entrance. Alia gasps when she sees the door slowly being opened further.

“Everyone get out of here now! Evacuate immediately, find cover anywhere possible!” 

She glances over at the two other operators who were firing at her side. One of them is still fairly new, a rookie named Palette who had completed her training not long ago. She was only a C rank member, but her loyalty matched the Special A rankers. She nodded at Alia, understanding that effectively the operators who were staying back to fight were sacrificing themselves. If it weren't for the adrenaline keeping Alia together, she would vomit at the thought of a young operator accepting potential death because of her own carelessness. 

Iris and the other operators who couldn't fight are hesitant, also aware of the implications with leaving behind their teammates currently firing at the mechaniloids. This causes Alia's panic take over, she grits her teeth.

“What are you stalling for? Get out, now! That's an order!” Alia screams in desperation, her voice quivering. They didn't have time to think this over, the door was breaking faster and now the room was being filled with insect mechaniloids.

Before Alia can yell again, the barricade breaks completely, pushed past it's limits. There are Drimole-W's approaching them with Gun Volts close by. The reploids were outnumbered and surrounded.

Shots are fired of sparks from the Gun Volts, one directed at Iris. Alia jumps up, dashing to push her out of the way, prepared to take the full brunt of the attack.

But it never hits her.

She's next to Iris, they both landed on the ground. Her eyes had closed at some point, but Alia opens them to look over and try to figure out what had stopped her from taking damage. 

Making quick work of the mechaniloids with his saber and Z-buster, the red android that had been the cause of everyone's initial anxiety could only be watched in awe by the operators he was unexplainably protecting. 

There were flashes from wires being torn apart and shots being fired, it looked as though the red reploid was teleporting to the operators with how quickly he dodged attacks. 

Alia got to her feet slowly, Palette had gone over to help Iris up. They were all at complete attention on the movements of the android that had been responsible for taking down Alia's superior officer. It was different watching a highly skilled combat warrior that only Commander Sigma was recorded to apprehend, another reading about it in a report. It amazed the pink operator having seen the recorded footage from when Zero defeated Gate and most of his unit with ease, but this was another level. 

It's not long before the mechaniloids are gone, though it felt like time stood still for the operators witnessing Zero in action. He holds his Z saber forward for a couple moments in case of any left over robots, but after a quick scan Zero puts away his sword but keeps his buster out. He closes his eyes, crossing his arms. 

Seems like the reploid that released him the first time either was here or had a friend who figured Zero would be more useful helping stop the invasion that took place here. The red android wasn't sure what motivated him to take part, perhaps because this time he wasn't restrained as severely. He wasn't put into a complete shut down, aware of the Lifesavers who repaired the damage done by that large reploid. He was more or less being kept for maintenance more than lock down, the only barrier the reploid who released him had to deal with this time was unlocking a door. 

A part of him also thought back to the blue android he met, Zero knew he was here. His scanners alerted him of his presence, Sigma was here as well. 

Something in Zero's programming had changed fundamentally, to the point where he was starting to understand why Sigma didn't destroy him when he had the chance. He could consider Zero's contribution to their efforts his repayment.

It wasn't a secret to Zero that there was an entire unit looking at him right now. Without using his scanners he knew they were afraid of him, confused too. Zero was considering his options, leaving would be easier than trying to find an explanation to give the group of reploids when he couldn't even come up with a proper one for himself. 

But then the commander arrived, followed by X. It seemed H.Q was safe for now, each sector adequately secured. The mavericks were pushed out of Hunter base, Sigma and X reconnected once it seemed fighting had stopped. They had come over to check on the operators while the rest of Sigma's unit were giving another scouting of the area to make sure everyone was safe.

Now there were more people staring at Zero in complete silence. Some of the navigators are on high alert, afraid of what he might do next. Sigma looks around, noting the remains of mechaniloids laying all over and the damage done to the room from fighting. The tension is finally broken by chuckling that turns into full blown, booming laughter. X and the operators are overloaded with thoughts from Zero's presence that freeze when the commander starts laughing at the situation. 

Zero is staring at the larger reploid, he didn't intend on harming any of the reploids around him but if someone struck first he wouldn't stand by either. It's not like he'd do well, what with being completely surrounded but he'd still prepare himself for the worst. He wasn't sure just yet if this meant he was considered an ally, so it wasn't clear if he should lower his guard just yet.

“I take it you don't know who released you this time, either”, Sigma said casually. He'd make a note to himself later to thank the reploid who seemed to be at work behind the scenes. Zero didn't respond, not needing to. Before X can ask what's going on, his commander is walking over to place a hand on Zero's shoulder.

“Welcome aboard, Maverick Hunter Zero”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the comments and kudos so far! i'm glad that there's people out there who are enjoying things this weird au, i dont have any experience writing fight scenes but hey
> 
> i'm getting to practice a new skill? this story is shit and im a fraud, everyone just stop reading it now kjaflkdsjkjf (sarcasm, this is sarcasm)
> 
> btw, if you're familiar with the rockman x manga some of the characterization of reploids are inspired from there. i recommend it to people who aren't, it's weird but there's some fun stuff in there. zero looks like utena tenjou without his helmet in some panels


	7. Mission Accomplished

It didn't take long for Commander Sigma to make use of the strongest reploids in his unit. The commander was working closely with General, coming up with strategies and exchanging information in efforts to quickly end the current threat to humanity. Signas and Alia had been chosen to take charge of coordinating the operators, they were expected not only to be the head of the unit but also to create reports for their superiors to use to combat Gate's army. There was a lot of correspondence, but they needed to make progress if they were to stop any attacks on reploids or humans.

It was terrifying for Alia when she heard her commander call the group of mavericks and their resources an army. She was aware that it was always called war when they were dealing with mavericks, but having an organized collective like this...and someone who had been special to her leading it. She still didn't fully understand why Sigma would trust her judgment after she came forward with how Gate knew the areas to attack in Hunter H.Q. To give her a promotion alongside Signas in the midst of it made it harder for her process. Alia viewed Signas as a one of their shining examples of intelligence leaders who's movement through the ranks weren't a surprise. 

Yet here she was, leading this special collective to try and stop their current threat. X had been making it a point to see her every day, his empathy shining through. She was glad he didn't push her, didn't expect her to talk about anything other than the missions he returned from. His presence and reassurance that they were making progress was enough, she gave him the same support in turn. 

However, the current head of operations couldn't help noticing when X wasn't with her that he was spending time with their new recruit. Zero was still an anomaly to most of the hunters, but X didn't seem bothered by the red android's checkered past. 

It was almost comical the first couple of times Alia noticed the two sitting together or sparing once the training center was running again. She made sure to be one of the reploids monitoring the first couple of training sessions, Zero may have saved her life and spared Gate's but she was worried about the remaining effects of the Maverick Virus. Their intelligence still didn't fully understand how it worked, even with all of their researchers hard at work looking for a cure once it was understood it was the leading contributor to maverick outbreaks. 

Zero had been fine with being studied a few times, his one condition being he didn't need to be shut off or restrained while researchers looked through his programming. Scanning still wasn't successful on his design, but the fact that he went along with their efforts was helpful nonetheless. 

The red android could be completely stable while working with their non-combatant reploids, while also being capable of unleashing tremendous amounts of strength during sparring. 

Sigma was partially to blame for that, he mentioned to Alia prior that Zero had been given upgrades by Gate's team when she wasn't around. The commander wanted to see for himself the full extent of the androids' potential, meaning their selection as partners for training was twofold. It gave X and Zero a person they didn't need to hold back on, and X was the only person who would willingly work alongside Zero. 

While that had been occurring inside Hunter Base, out in the field there were missions were underway. Zero's first official mission was happening today, she noted X's anxiety when the announcement was made early in the morning. There wasn't much time given to Zero to prepare, not that he needed. It was the reploids to accompany him that raised a lot of attention, especially among the operators. 

It was Vile, Colonel, and Zero being sent out to investigate a confirmed base of resources for Gate's operation. The location was deep in a jungle, so thankfully they wouldn't have to worry about civilians but it was Vile being sent out. Three of the strongest robots, two of them having records of attacking reploids without restraint.

There were a lot of variables to think about these days, what pulled Alia away from her thoughts was X appearing with a box of what she guessed were snacks for lunch. She smiled down at him, he had gotten taller since they first met but she still had a good several inches over him. She'd do her best not to think about how the mission between those three would turn out while she took a break with her friend.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Say that again and I won't hold back next time!”

Zero was standing over Vile, being one of the few robots to catch the special A hunter off guard and punch him square in the jaw. If Vile's face could be seen, it would most likely have a look of murder across it. Right now it was a tense situation of Vile looking up from the ground before quickly getting to his feet, aiming the cannon on his back at the red android in warning.

“Who the hell do you think you're dealing with?! Do you want to die?!”

What started this whole mess had been a flippant remark made by Vile, not necessarily directed at anyone since he didn't seem to care if he got a response or not. The purple hunter had a habit of sometimes making derogatory statements, this time was about how it was good X wasn't put on this mission because he would just slow them down. It was prompted almost out of nowhere, the hunters had been mostly quiet save for Vile making remarks here and there. His actual words were much more vulgar towards X, but their specifics didn't matter to Zero. The red android wasn't even sure himself why the insults pissed him off so much, but they did and his fists responded accordingly. At having the special A hunter aiming his weapon, Zero pulled out his Z saber as his own preparation. 

Colonel cleared his throat to get their attention, feeling more like he was put on this mission to be a babysitter. He knew he could handle Vile, it was always hard finding reploids who could work with the guy because his attitude was awful. He was only tolerable to the strong and even then it was a test of patience not to react to his acid tongue. Colonel had been interested at first at seeing the side of Zero his sister had told him about. He was the one who saved the operators on duty. Colonel silently thanked the red android, he owed him for what he did back there. He also was prepared to jump in the middle if a fight broke out, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. 

'Not before they destroyed the mavericks here', he thought to himself. He knew General had also chosen him because he knew Colonel would want a chance for revenge against Gate's robots.

Once he had Zero and Vile's attention, he gestured in the direction of the base. They were close, they needed to pay attention or they would get attacked by guards on patrol as payment for their carelessness. Colonel didn't need to say that out loud for the robots to understand his meaning. Vile lowered his hand while he glared as much as a someone with a helmet could at Zero, then hmphed before he ran forward to the base. Zero looked over at Colonel then followed Vile.

Once they were close enough, mechaniloids sprung out as security measures. Standing on top of the base as though they were expecting intruders was a rose reploid and a mushroom reploid that Colonel recognized as Split Mushroom and Spike Rosered. They weren't particularly strong, Colonel wasn't worried about dealing with those two even with the added benefit of having squads of mechaniloids at their disposal. 

“A couple of rejects from the dregs of H.Q, handling these guys won't take me long,” Vile says arrogantly.

“I commend you for finding us, Gate was right when he said your information unit was top notch. It's too bad it has to end here.” Split Mushroom says to them before jumping down with Spike Rosered. 

Colonel wanted to make a quip agreeing that it would be too bad for the mavericks that their operation would end here, but before he can open his mouth Zero is sent flying into the group of mechaniloids. 

Mushroom, Rosered, and Colonel stop to watch as Zero avoids crashing into the mechaniloids by firing his buster rapidly, setting off explosions around him before landing on his feet. He's raging, turning to Vile to yell at him.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What? I thought you'd like the chance to take care of the small fry for us while the adults have a conversation. Besides, we're even now.” 

“I should crush you like the piece of shit tin can you are...” Zero almost growls at him. Colonel manages to snap back his attention to the mavericks, taking this time to rush at Split Mushroom while he's distracted by Vile and Zero's argument. Spike Rosered regains his composure at that, viewing Colonel's strategy as useful. He would try the same thing on Vile and Zero in the assumption that they wouldn't notice.

Rosered throws his vine whip to grab at Zero, but the red android manages to dodge. He swings his sword to make contact with the spiked whip, pulling Rosered forward so he could close the gap between them. His plan was to strike down the plant reploid once he was close enough, but he's distracted from his opponent when a bomb that had been throw explodes on top of whip. It narrowly misses Zero but destroys Rosered's weapon. The red android looks around, taking a sucker punch to the face.

“Don't you dare act like I'm not here!” Vile seethes at him

“You really want me to beat your ass, don't you?” Zero says this while jumping up to hit Vile.

Rosered is getting frustrated at being the ignored, it shouldn't be difficult to gain the advantage with these two bickering like that. He scatters a Rose Cutter and is horrified when it's dodged completely by the two robots, as though it was nothing more than a minor nuisance to them. They don't even need to turn away this time, which infuriates Rosered. This causes the plant reploid to use a more aggressive approach with his cutter, sending a larger cyclone of rose petals mixed with him dashing forward to use a newly conjured whip on Vile. 

Vile dodges Zero swinging a leg at him, which leaves him open to Rosered. The plant reploid wraps his whip completely around Vile's upper half to trap him in place. Vile curses, he can't avoid the incoming swirl of metal rose petals the maverick releases to finish him off. Before they can make contact, shots are fired from Zero that burn up all the rose cutters and the whip. Vile tumbles slightly once he's free, turning to face Zero. The red android is smirking at him, looking particularly punchable.  
“What? You're not mad I can do your job better, are you?” Zero's smile grows bigger while he speaks. 

“I didn't need your help! And don't get in my way, a no name B-ranker should know his place!”

Colonel looks over at the fight going on. He destroyed Split Mushroom fairly quick, he knew the reploid from some previous work done with Repliforce so he was familiar with his weaknesses. He wasn't much of a fighter to begin with, modifications done once he joined Gate didn't do him any good in the end. The tall reploid doesn't include himself into the situation out of morbid curiosity to see how far they go. 

Rather than getting too distracted by the drama below, Colonel checks into his servers to connect with Iris. 

With the two are bickering while exchanging blows, Rosered is wondering if maybe these reploids will kill each other instead of completing their mission. It's wishful thinking, when the maverick tries to attack again with another tornado of Rose Cutters, the two robots destroy all the petals with ease while still yelling at each other. All of the plant reploid's attacks have been rendered useless by reploids that aren't even respecting him enough to treat him as a threat, and it's pushed Rosered past the point of reasoning. 

He dashes in a last ditch effort to jump on top either of them, settling on Vile since he's the one currently yelling and he was open again from trying to punch Zero.

“We didn't even need your useless ass to join Sigma's unit, he just does whatever X wants and X wants you for some stupid reason!” Vile shouts at Zero, choking out “Oh shit...” when Rosered is on top of him, latching them together with his vine whip. 

Zero fires from his buster one last time, ending the fight with this shot being fully charged and burning Rosered to pieces. A smug part of himself is happy to see all the ash that lands on Vile as a byproduct. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the Hunter base, all of the operators have been huddled around Iris. She was assigned as the navigator for this mission, but removed her head set when the fighting between Vile and Zero kept maxing out in terms of decibels. It gave her a head ache, but her colleagues' couldn't help listening in. Vile was awful to be around and Zero was a former maverick that most of them were still afraid of, so curiosity won out over reason and all the operators were compelled to snoop in. Iris pinched the bridge of her nose, this would be the subject of operator and civilian gossip for weeks. 

It was hard on a lot of the reploids not be curious how these two would handle being a team, there'd been a buzz of theories floating around after the decision had been finalized. Iris sighs, the images of an exotic bird her brother sent doing little to ease her stress. She didn't like fighting, looking over at the operators excitement from hunters arguing was something she couldn't relate to. Even Alia, the older reploid she admired was crowding around her station to watch what was comparable to drama tv shows. 

X wanders into the operation center, deciding to return a couple hours after he spent some time with Alia to hear how the mission with Zero was going. He hears the red android's voice from across the room, it's volume must have been immense to manage being so clear when the sound waves were coming out of a headset.

The voice is screaming 'NOW I OWN YOU, SHIT HEAD'

X had only just walked through the doorway, but he quickly moves back out. He would learn more about this against his will later when he checked in on Alia.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's tense but for the first time, Vile is silent. Colonel is impressed, he admits to himself that Zero is a formidable opponent that Sigma was right to have seen potential in. Much as he had done before with helping X become a capable hunter, it was clear Sigma knew what he was doing. Maybe it had been the right call to send the three of them together on this mission.

“Well, if we're all finished here, I don't mind filling out the report for our operators. When you two are ready, I'll be at the plane.” Colonel is chuckling lightly when he says this.

Zero is confused at his laughter. Most likely because he was still worked up from Vile, he mistakes it for Colonel laughing at him. 

“Care to explain what's so funny?”, there's a warning behind his words.

Colonel laughs harder at Zero being confrontational. He was interesting, but the new recruit shouldn't overthink things.

“Nothing, nothing at all. My apologies, let's return to base.”

Once they're all on the aircraft, the return ride from the mission was uneventful. Colonel is typing the report for Hunter Base and Repliforce records, Vile and Zero sit on opposite ends. They haven't said a word since they boarded the aircraft, Zero doesn't know what to make of Vile being quiet. He settles on being relieved the other wasn't speaking, so the red android rests in stand by mode for the remainder of the flight. 

Zero's lights flash back on when he reactivates, their landing prompting him to wake up. Waiting for the trio inside the base is Commander Sigma with the General and a few reploids at their side. The first person to walk outside of the aircraft was Vile, he doesn't respond to Sigma outside of a nod before going past him. The commander lets the rude gesture slide, he'd seen this type of reaction from the hunter reploid before. He just didn't think it would be his first interaction with Zero to lead to it. 

“Excellent work men, I expected nothing less!” Sigma is smiling while he speaks, General nodding in assent. Zero mirrors the salute he sees Colonel give the higher ranked reploids, still feeling like he didn't belong here. He's unsure why he felt himself trying to anyway. 

Before he can think too deeply into it, Zero notices X is one of the reploids standing at the exit of the aircraft carrier building. X smiles brightly at the red android once they make eye contact. 'He's too nice...' is the thought that crosses Zero's mind, he tries to return the gesture with small smile of his own. 

Once he's dismissed by Commander Sigma, he walks over to the blue android to return to main building together. It's a couple minutes of pleasant silence while they're in each other's company, moving through the numerous hallways of Hunter H.Q. The repairs done since the attack not too long ago could almost fool someone into thinking it never happened. X knew how Vile could be, unsure of how Zero would handle himself. A guilty part of his programming, perhaps a glitch or intentionally left in by his creator to make X more 'human', was thinking that it would serve Vile right if he got beaten up by the red android. For the blue android, he's grateful he didn't need to be stressed to find things to talk about to fill in the silence while in Zero's presence. It should've been strange how comfortably they got along, he had been under strict orders from Commander Sigma not to let Zero know he was created to destroy X. He still didn't understand the reasoning behind that sentiment fully, but he wouldn't question it for now. Sigma knew he what he was doing, X was sure of that much.

X glances at Zero's face a couple times, not unnoticed by the taller android. He gives the shorter android a puzzled look as a means of prompting him to say what's on his mind. X shakes his head, hoping he wouldn't regret his choice of words.

“So.....where did you learn to swear like that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so after posting the previous chapter I realized I made a stupid mistake. Flame Mammoth doesn't shoot fire wave from his nose, he shoots oil from his nose, the fire comes out of his arm ;w; i need to double check myself better. i was debating if I wanted to include Vile in this au, and how big of a role he would have if I did. He's never been a good guy, but without Sigma being evil he might not have a reason to branch out from the maverick hunters. There's a lot to think about, but I don't want this to get even more complicated than it already is. next chapter will get gay
> 
> thanks again for the kind comments and kudos!


	8. We Are Partners

X was feeling pretty good about how quickly he finished off this maverick. The mission came a couple weeks after Zero's, not surprising given there was a ton of information for the operators to salvage from the base once Split Mushroom and Spike Roserade had been destroyed. There were still 9 more, scattered across the continent and managing their own respective units. Activity was hard to spot but intel was persistent in at least getting generalized locations of the mavericks. This was the 3rd one down, X raised his fist in victory to no one in particular. There was a slight snicker over the communication line he recognized from his navigator for this mission, Nana, but he was in too good a mood to feel self conscious. It was a job well done. 

The now A ranked maverick hunter was sent alone because the area seemed to be of moderate risk, that and Sigma wanted to see how he would handle it. He'd made it a point to keep X and Zero from working together too soon, not because he didn't think they would pair well but he could feel the unease it was causing the reploids around them. The commander didn't like hearing from Armored Armadillo that he needed to keep an eye on the young hunter. 

'Hunters shouldn't let their personal feelings get involved.'

Those were his exact words before the armadillo reploid walked off. Sigma agreed with the sentiment, but to an extent he wanted to leave room for X to make his own decisions. The commander was looking at the benefits presented when X had autonomy over his actions since it had been proven useful once before. For now he sent the android off on a solo mission in a ghost town. The maverick located was inside a light tower, it was Volt Catfish appropriately harnessing large amounts of energy that their operators were able to pick up after a few weeks of scanning. Some power was still running in the city and it seemed Catfish was sent with a squad of mechaniloids to get the main generator running. It was a ground plan that would have lead to a new base of operation for the group of mavericks, but now it would be used as a lead to their next course of action.

X's following objectives were to look around through the computers for information to send Nana, write up a quick report, meet with his superior officers for some correspondence, then he could go home and rest. Maybe Zero would join him in the dining hall again.... It was a source of entertainment introducing the red android to the different types of sustenance reploids consumed. It was a fond image in his memory banks the first time he had the other android try carbonated fuel drinks.

The hunter's face was back to its usual expressionless state, but internally X was glad to have Zero as a friend. It took the edge off of the stressful situation, something of a small victory he could focus on instead of worrying constantly that the maverick wars were still on even after all these years of effort. While typing to gain entry to the data base on a main computer, X let his mind drift to a previous sparring session he had with the red android. He was stronger than himself, that much X knew. 

He felt like he was learning a lot from the red android in a short time, Zero's learning capabilities were impressive. X thought he was being pushed by the android to learn different ways to use the weapons he already had instead of relying on new abilities with his copy shot. That might have been why X made a self imposed restriction on himself to only use his buster when fighting Catfish.

This wasn't to discredit the training X received from reploids before, but there was something else present when he spent time with Zero. It was like when they first met, X still didn't know what to call it exactly. A spark that made it easy for him to trust the red android. He would worry what it meant later, he didn't like struggling to come up with an explanation when there were more pressing matters in front of him on the computer screen.

X found a document that confirmed one of their projected locations for a maverick, he quickly took a screen shot and attached the image to the report he was filling out. Even though the threat currently present worried him, X chose not to doubt that the hunters' efforts would be successful in the end. Once completed, he sent the report to Nana so she could take care of the rest. 

He dashed down the corridors of the lighthouse wanting to get to his motorcycle as quickly as possible. However, something picked up by X's sensors made him pause for a moment. He notices a branching path after looking around for a few seconds. X isn't sure what force made him decide to take the other route, but he's compelled to follow the trail. 

It might have been an attraction to the object that was ahead as he ran all the way up to a hidden cavern. At the end of it is a mysterious blue capsule, X walks up to it in curiosity. He realizes after a moment that his servers were cut off of at some point by a jammer in this region, meaning he was completely alone. The capsule opened to reveal a green light with a hologram of an elderly man. X could see he was human and that he recognized the android by the warm look on his face. There was something sad about his expression, odd since this appeared to be a prerecorded message. Least that was the assumption X was following, there was something eerie about the setting. 

“So you've come...X, I gave you the ability to choose your own path in life, and I hoped the world would allow you to choose a peaceful one. But now it seems that you are destined to fight. Because I thought the world might need a new champion, I have hidden capsules like this one. If you find and use them you will be able to increase your powers beyond anything the world has ever known. Good luck, X!”

Mechanically, X walked into the green light. Letting the light envelop him, he closes his eyes and stays still while the programming from the capsule run it's course through his system. X opens them once he senses the process was complete, looking around a bit before noticing his legs had changed. A white and gold encasing wrapped around his armored boots that don't seem to make them any heavier, in fact X felt that his legs were lighter after experimentally raising one forward. 

X dashes, widening his eyes when he realized not only could he move faster but for a longer period of time. It was at the same level as Zero or the commander, it took him no time at all to travel back the way he came into the main path of the base. He would need to speak with Dr. Cain about the capsule incident, for some reason when X looked into his data banks he saw that already he had labeled that elderly man in the green hologram as Dr. Light. He had just met his creator for the first time in almost 100 years.

Waiting for him at the exit of the light house was his motorcycle left on standby. X twisted one of the handlebars to start the engine, lost in his thoughts during his ride back to hunter base. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A quick meet up had been established that comprised of Nana, Alia, Signas, and Sigma. The collective of superior officers and his navigator were reviewing X's findings after he had taken care of the maverick, as well as questions about the upgrade X had received. After answering to the best of his ability, the maverick hunter was free to go rest. It wasn't unnoticed from his teammates how quickly the blue android left once Alia said he was dismissed. She exchanges looks with Sigma. The commander chuckled at how serious she was, more out of habit than as a dismissive gesture but the head of intelligence didn't catch that part.

“I'm failing to see the humor here. I understand you like having your unit on trusting terms with each other, but aren't you at least a little worried?”

Nana and Signas are used to how strong Alia's speech patterns could be in times of stress, but it causes some uneasiness whenever it came out with the commander. Sigma doesn't mind, it's one of the reasons he wanted her in charge alongside Signas. The other reploid was too much of a yes man at times...

“X isn't a child anymore, I don't see a reason to treat him like one when he's already shown he's capable of handling more complicated situations. He's already discovered one of the capsules left over from Dr. Light, he's making plenty of progress without needing someone to step in.” 

His smug assurance makes Alia grit her teeth.

“He's clearly getting emotionally invested, that's not appropriate when there are mavericks we need to focus on.”

She's standing firm, even though Sigma towers over her it's clear that they're on equal footing. She puts a protective hand over her chest.

“I don't want him to make the same mistakes I did...”

She stops facing Sigma to look down after she finishes speaking. There's still guilt even though the commander already told her she was absolved of all wrong doing from the attack on their base. At this point Sigma didn't want to point out the contradictory nature of her worrying over X. Alia had the self reflection to see it for herself, but he knew the deeper sentiment underneath what she was saying. 

“Let me worry about conflicts in my unit when they arise. Making sure our operations run accordingly is what I need you to take care of here, Alia”

He puts both of his hands on her shoulders, closing the gap between them. She's by no means a frail figure, but the operator looks small in contrast to the commander. Alia exhales, removing his hands from herself to show she was fine now and would be able to get back to work. She nods up at him to reinforce her meaning.

Sigma makes his way out to check in with his unit, leaving the operators to their work. He had his own business to take care of with Dr. Cain later. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X was planning on checking the training center for signs of Zero, getting distracted along the way to look outside a window at a gathering down below. It was around winter by this point of the year, so there was a light snow that had a pack of children and a large figure X recognized as Blizzard Buffalo crowding around. Their movements implied they might've been playing a game of sorts.

He smiled watching the display, Buffalo had a way with art and children. He was a shining example of what Dr. Cain hoped would happen between humans and reploids with time, there were human and reploid children brought together through play with the large buffalo reploid. This time of year was when a number of snow and ice sculptures would pop up around the building, giving the serious architecture a festive tone. Wherever winter went, Buffalo was close by as a traveling artist. There were two children resting on opposite shoulders of the large reploid, clearly having fun while Buffalo shaved around an ice figure to turn it into tiger. From what X could see there was a unicorn and a family of rabbits among other things scattered in the landscape. 

It didn't hurt to take a quick trip outside before he went a building over to find Zero. Once he was at ground level, he saw A-1 was one of the children crowding Blizzard Buffalo, waving to the young operator to get his attention. Once he spotted X, the rabbit reploid ran over to him eagerly. 

“Hey X, I haven't seen you in a while! How's life as an A rank hunter been treating you?”

“It's alright, that last mission wasn't anything special. We'll catch Gate before you know it.”

He smiled down at his friend, knowing it would be a while before A-1 could join the more serious operations. It had been fun when X was first starting out working with the energetic reploid boy. He patted his head before going off to greet Blizzard Buffalo, but right as he was saying good bye a memory crossed him from not too long ago. Probably less than a week had passed since it happened, it was right after he lost another match to Zero. 

The red android helped him up with an apologetic look on his face, X would always say not to hold back and he paid for it fairly quick this time. X tried to hide the embarrassment he felt, he had been caught off guard by Zero's speed. His attempts to look composed didn't seem to do himself much good since Zero patted his head anyway. 

'Don't worry too much about it, you might be as strong as me some day.'

Zero smiled when he said that, then winked at him. At the time, X enjoyed the gesture because Zero rarely showed warmth to anyone and gradually their sparring could almost be considered a game at times. He viewed it as a friendly rivalry, even though it felt one sided at times. But the blue android's interaction with A-1 just now made him wonder...

Did Zero view their relationship like that? A more mature reploid looking down at someone that needed reassurance while he moved upwards in the ranks. The thought had the hunter feeling strange, it was a kind of second hand embarrassment he was fairly sure he'd never felt before. It was hard to say how exactly, but he really didn't like the idea of Zero seeing him as anything less than a partner on their team. However, it was hard for X to think of a reason why the other hunter should. X hadn't even been able to go all out with him in a spar yet.

He tried to shake away those thoughts, not only were they distracting but there was no evidence besides one interaction that probably could've equally likely meant hundreds of other things. Besides, why did it matter how Zero viewed their friendship exactly? It should be good enough that they were friends at all, though it seemed Zero was slowly finding his place among the other hunters. When Colonel of Repliforce let the commander know they were happy to have Zero train with them whenever he was available it was big news among the operators. The novelty of the dangerous maverick turning into a hunter still hadn't worn off yet even though he had been a part of them team for at least a couple months now.

Before his thoughts could race any further, Blizzard Buffalo was yelling at X to come over and see some of his artwork. It was a welcomed distraction, though X felt himself responding mechanically while Buffalo went on about how well the ice was holding together this year thanks to the Hunter Base's new temperature control mechanism. He could only maintain half his attention, looking at the different figures his friend had created with an incredible amount of detail. X became especially interested at one sculpture he was brought to after viewing numerous animal inspired art, this one stood out because it was a sword wedged inside of a rock in a more serious style than the other figures. 

“This one was specially requested by Irene, she had been looking over some ancient texts in her studies and one of the stories involved a sword in a stone. I don't like making weapons, but she said this was more of a heroic symbol than anything. Something about the one who wielded it was meant to be a king...”

X nodded along, his processors quick at work with other plans while he made the appropriate responses to Buffalo's words. 

Maybe Zero viewed him in a more immature light, but it's not like impressions of a person were static. X could change the nature of their relationship by showing Zero the side of him Commander Sigma said was his greatest strength. 

His thoughtfulness.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An armored boot tapped impatiently against the tile floor. Zero must've checked his server's internal clock a dozen times already, but he had been expecting X to come straight from his mission to the training center so they could go to the dining hall together. It wasn't something the hunter told Zero they were doing explicitly, but it was somewhat of a routine that the red android took comfort in. 

He still felt awkward around most of the other hunters, it was odd hearing a hearty 'HEY, HOW'S THE SWORDWORK GOING?' from Sigma the times he would run into him. It seemed only the stronger, high ranking reploids didn't have an issue interacting with the red android. Of course among those was X...

Sigma was right, his presence was good for morale. Zero found himself relaxed with the other hunter primarily because he was so easy to get along with. They could fight and he didn't get scared of getting hurt, shrugging off being defeated with grace Zero could never muster. He also didn't seem to mind the quiet intersections during their time spent together, he let the red android be in his thoughts until he was ready or he'd fill it in with a comment or an observation that didn't need a response.

He's pulled away from his musing when his scanners pick up X making his way towards the red android. The hunter appears from around a corner hall shortly after, Zero notes he's holding a white metal box in his hands and he's wearing new white armor on his legs. Zero would've made a comment on them but he hesitates. Usually X says a greeting first, but there's a determined aura about him that has the red android waiting before he says anything. X puts his arms forward in a gesture that Zero sees is the android offering him to take it.

Picking it up from his hands, Zero looks at him in confusion. He lifts the box up to inspect it, it's temperature is locked a few Celsius below freezing making it cold to touch. The outside is unremarkable, it's a simple solid white.

“...the heck is this?” 

“Open it”

Zero didn't notice X shifting slightly and looking around while he unlatched a hook to open the box, gestures of discomfort at not knowing how the other android would respond to the gift. Blue eyes look carefully at the ice figurine pulled out, it fits on top of one of his hands. There are two small swords placed in display on an intricate stand.

Zero admires the figure, for a combat robot like himself he didn't think much into how other reploids would perform tasks that weren't either attack oriented or for maintenance. Art wasn't something he had much first hand exposure to, but his memory banks had references he was looking into while scanning the detail of his present. There was a dim memory of his creator, he couldn't see his face but he remembered the elderly man shaking with happiness. He called Zero his greatest work of art, he was polishing the red android's shoulder armor in preparation of placing the 'Z' decal. His creator took pride in Zero's design because he was his masterpiece. 

Whoever created the ice sculpture had been given a lecture's worth of directions, there was an amazing amount of detail placed on the swords and the small stand they were forged into. The swords couldn't be removed from the display, but that could only be seen after careful observation. Their handles had a circular base that led to the long thin blades, the stand itself almost had a temple vibe to it. Someone must've provided extensive research into how to design it, from the scabbard to the way the blades curved. Zero blinked, he realized then that his own sword curved slightly like that. It took him a couple moments to realize this was based on the references of Zero's own design.

Meaning? He tore his eyes away, not realizing how long he had been studying the gift from the blue android. 

Zero can't register awkwardness in others, it's not something he would know to look for since he did a fair job of hiding his own. But he smiles at X and it melts away any insecurity the blue android had prior. The thought of X spending time researching something related to Zero with the objective of creating an appropriate gift made him feel strange, but in a good way. It was confusing, but he was happy. Maybe a glitch in his processors Zero would worry about later, but he did recall Sigma mentioning how X could think at a level other reploids couldn't. 

X was special, Zero knew this already but a part of himself had the passing thought 'special to me'. Before he could delve further into the implications of those feelings and because he noticed X was struggling to come up with what to say, the silence was broken by Zero to halt any further overthinking.

“Thank you, I'll treasure it.” 

He places the small display back into it's box, aware that it will last longer in the proper temperature control. He holds it in one arm so that the duo can lock arms into a half hug, half fist bump of sorts.

X wasn't completely alleviated from worrying how Zero viewed him, but he would make the extra effort to reach the level he wanted for their friendship. They were hunters on Commander Sigma's Elite 17th Unit and more importantly, they were partners.


	9. Double Crosser

“Hey freak, you want to hurry up with that package? You’ll get left behind if you take too long!”

“Aw, let him be. You know he can't go any faster, some idiot designed that reploid with useless legs”

A short, round reploid hurried along while carrying some boxes. Those would be stored onto the aircraft for an upcoming mission, they were sending over reploids to go through a base that had been recently been freed from maverick control thanks to Repliforce. While X had taken care of Volt Catfish, Colonel took down Crush Crawfish with a small unit of reploids. The government was happy at the rate criminals were being apprehended. The present mission shouldn't be an issue, but it would help the rookie get familiar with how to navigate a base for information and scout for any remaining mechaniloids.

Double had volunteered this time for just that reason, X modestly looked down at his boots when the reploid introduced himself as one of the maverick hunter's biggest fans in front of all the senior hunters. He was grateful his commander and unit teammates kept the snide comments to a minimum after the rookie hunter left the room, although he knew he wouldn't hear the end of that interaction for a while.

The aircraft was almost ready, Double looked around for the hunters that would be accompanying him. Of course there was X who was walking through the entrance, as he made his way across the large room Double noticed that walking side by side with the hunter was Zero. He's confused for a moment by the senior hunters not coming directly towards him, but then realizes X is making a beeline for the other hunters that had been taunting Double a moment ago.  
X glares up at one of the hunters, a couple of C rankers that were intimidated by a shorter android. It's entertaining to watch for Zero, but then he remembers all of the reploids would be familiar with how strong X is by this point.

“Care to repeat that comment?”

The reploids stammer to come up with a response, especially against someone with direct contact to Sigma. There's a jumbled assortment of apologies directed to Double and X. Zero chuckles when the twosome walk away which makes X smile. When they reach the rookie hunter, X puts a hand up to introduce the two.

“Double, you've heard of Zero, the new hunter for 17th unit. He may have less experience as a member of our team but the commander said it'd be beneficial to have him along this time. We won't need an entire unit this way and it gives us a bit more freedom to explore.”

Double smiles up at the higher ranked hunters, internally he's ecstatic at this opportunity. So it would be those two escorting the new hunter...

“It's great to work with you both! I promise I won't be a burden.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride was uneventful, the group was quiet after a quick call was made by X to confirm details with Nana. The former base run by Crush Crawfish was a docking port, once used by humans for military purposes. It was abandoned almost 100 years ago, but restored by the mavericks to a state that covered all the damages caused by years of neglect. It had a tunnel running through it to connect the base with the ocean, making it much larger than it appeared from the outside. X looked through the map while running alongside Zero down the hallway, reminding the taller hunter to keep a moderate pace so Double wouldn't get left behind.

Zero rolled his eyes while watching X pull back so he could stay close to the rookie hunter, the blue android was so soft with reploids. Along the way, X picks up a faint transmission. He looks over at Zero and Double, noticing that they can't register what X's servers picked up on. He debates telling them, deciding he would need to since he couldn't very well leave Zero alone to take care of Double.

“Zero, is it alright if I take a slight detour. There's an interference down this hallway I want to inspect.”

“Interference? That's odd, I didn't catch anything...”

Before the other hunter can ask more questions, X is already dashing off into a different hallway that leads to a hidden crevice. The trio look down for a moment, Zero whistling.

“Good eye, this definitely wasn't on the map.”

X doesn't respond, he has a gut feeling on what this will be. Carefully, the small group runs down the path to reveal another capsule. X feels odd about having others watch him approach the machine, grateful that they're quiet when it opens to reveal Dr. Light.

“This capsule contains an enhancement for your helmet which will allow you to break up some ceilings with a headbutt. Excellent work making progress, X. I'm proud of you.”

Zero and Double watch, amazed by the capsule and the way X seems to be completely calm when looking at the old man talking inside of it. X's helmet changes, it has white and silver accents that jut out slightly on top of the blue of his helmet and around the red gem on his forehead. Once the upgrade is complete, X walks out of the capsule. It crumbles once the blue android is completely out of the way.

X gives an awkward smile to Zero and Double, unsure where to start when he isn't even sure what these capsules are exactly either. Before he can try to explain Zero raises a hand to make him stop.

“We'll talk later, we should keep moving.”

X is grateful that Zero can push curiosity aside when there was a mission to complete, primarily because the thought of explaining his upgrade made him feel uncomfortable for some reason. A part of him would've preferred finding the capsule in private, hoping the next one wouldn't be around others.

They reach the main computer room, the reploids splitting the work between the 3 of them. X connects a cord into the side of his earpiece then sifts through the files on the database, sending information to the operators online while reading it. It's quiet for a period, Zero glances over at X a few times to watch him work. When he's serious like this Zero likes the way his fake eyebrows slant downward in concentration and his face gets closer to the computer screen. There's nothing particularly remarkable about X's face, it's certainly not unappealing. The creator of the blue android must have had that thought in mind to make him pleasant looking when designing the more human portions of his body, but most reploids based off of humans followed that type of design choice. Differences between reploid faces were primarily for aesthetics, but Zero decided he liked green eyes when he saw how X's glowed in the dim lighting of the computer room.

He's torn away from his thoughts when his scanners pick up mechaniloids approaching, he yells at the others to get on guard. X quickly disconnects then pulls out his buster, the two androids brace themselves for the attack. 

“Double! Get out of here and hide, let Zero and I take care of the rest!”

Double nods, quickly exiting through a backdoor. X is glad he told Double to run away when he did, his eyes widen when he realizes this wasn't a normal group of left over mechaniloids. Appearing with a larger than average group of robots is a newly repaired Crush Crawfish and he has Magma Dragoon by his side. X fires a charged shot at a swarm of Bomb Beens, dashing towards the mavericks. He's glaring at the duo, there's no way Colonel would've let Crawfish live so there must have been something else going on here. He'd worry about that later, right now X needed to focus on taking down these mavericks. 

“I thought Colonel took care of you, how are you still here?”

“We have allies that salvaged my remains, it seems your allies didn't finish the job properly. I was revived, I'm grateful I was given this opportunity to crush you two before I can take my revenge on Colonel!”

Crawfish rushes at X, attacking with one of his pincer blades. X dodges swiftly but is attacked from behind by Magma Dragoon. The maverick tries to hit him again with a flame kick only to be stopped by Zero shoving himself in between with his saber.

“Hang on, let them fight. I can't have let X have all the fun.”

Magma Dragoon smiles wickedly while Zero is smirking. This would be a pleasure to fight against the famous red android, Dragoon thinks to himself. 

“Zero, it's an honor to meet you finally. I don't get to fight enough worthy opponents!”

Zero enjoys cutting off Dragoon's arm with his saber a little too much when the maverick attempts to throw a flame punch, X thinks this as he glances at the red android's battle. X wouldn't have so much trouble with Crush Crawfish if not for the fact that they were also being attacked by mechaniloids at different fronts. Not wanting to waste any time and risk Double getting caught from wherever he was hiding, X uses Volt Catfish's Triad Thunder to finish off the maverick quickly.

X throws the triad of electric spheres at Crawfish, electrocuting him to the point of burning. The hunter combines his assault with a storm tornado, gaining some distance from the explosion that occurs when Crawfish is destroyed. This time there shouldn't be anything to salvage, X was sure of that much.. He takes a moment to regain his composure, grateful he always read all the reports so he knew the maverick was weak against electricity. Sigma made the joke once that X was the bookworm of the team, more of a compliment than teasing. This wasn't the first time it saved X's skin.

It only lasts for a second, X reminds himself there's still fighting going on. He rushes in to destroy more mechaniloids before noticing Zero has taken some damage from his own battle with Dragoon. It might've been from being distracted by the outside annoyance of the mechaniloids, otherwise it shouldn't have been difficult for Zero to take down the already heavily damaged maverick. X rushes to his side, covering his blind spots so Zero can swing his blade down on Dragoon. He cuts the reploid in half, dashing away as the body explodes from the impact.

Zero pauses for a moment to make sure he's properly destroyed the maverick, regretting it when he takes a cheap shot from a Sky Farmer above. He curses, firing a shot from his Z buster at the mechaniloid then joining X to get rid of the rest. He’s making too many careless mistakes, he thinks to himself. It wasn’t this difficult taking care of the surprise attack on Maverick Hunter H.Q, Zero wonders if these mechaniloids were being programmed with X and Zero’s attack patterns in mind.

The hunters regroup once they’ve finished off the remaining mechaniloids, Zero looks over at X. He’s also taken a couple of hits here and there, but all around they both were glad they were fine after the ambush.

“Nice work, X. You really do get stronger with each fight.”

X looks down at his buster, it makes him slightly shy whenever he hears a compliment from Zero. It’s not bad, just has him feeling a squirming sensation in his stomach. X would talk to Dr. Cain about that later, it might be a malfunction in his system. It was hard to say for certain when it only seemed to kick in when he was around Zero.

“Thanks, but it looks like I still have a lot to work on. Are you alright?”

“I was overconfident, but I won’t make the same mistake twice. I want to talk to Sigma later about this, something’s bothering me. It’s odd that the mechaniloids seemed to be following our movements instead of just attacking…”

X hadn’t thought of it that way. Now that Zero mentioned it, it was strange that the hunters took as many hits as they did. It might’ve been so that it was easier for the mavericks chosen to ambush the duo.

“We’ll have to be more careful...You’re really amazing, Zero. You figured that out all on your own.”

“It’s nothing special, didn’t do me much good to dodge hits. I hate when your base’s Lifesavers give me that look like I might bite their hand off..”

X laughs a bit, there was some truth to it but he wouldn’t say that to Zero’s face.

“I don’t think they mean it that way, but it might be from how serious you look all the time.”

“And you don’t?”

“Well, yes and no. What I mean is if you talked to them like how you do with me, that would make it easier for them to relax around you.”

Zero is smirking now, he can tell X is dancing around the subject.

“And you’re relaxed around me? Is that why you still haven't beat me? I thought neither of us was holding back all this time.”

“Not when we fight! I mean, yes I’m comfortable with you but not when we’re supposed to be sparring. That is to say-er..”

It takes X a minute to get himself together, Zero laughing.

“I’m kidding, don’t worry about it. I meant it when I said you’re getting stronger, those upgrades even had me struggling with you sometimes.”

X perks up at that.

“Really? I guess I’m starting to take it for granted, but it has been easier getting around with the foot parts.”

“I’ve noticed, I like how they look too. I guess once you complete the set you’ll look cooler than me.”

X has a hard time processing that last part. It’s a joke, the red android is winking at him accentuating the fact that his words were very clearly meant to rattle the other maverick hunter and X tries to tell Zero that it’s cruel of him to go there. However, before he can get a word in the red android is back to being serious, looking around the area.

“We should go find Double, I hope the kid isn’t too scared. There might still be leftover mechaniloids lurking around”

X smiles at that, it was nice hearing Zero being concerned for the reploid’s mental state. He nods, following the other hunter as they search along the base for the rookie.

They look around a bit, going deeper into the base and notice they’ve traveled to the underwater segment. They reach a large room, Zero walks in front of X to get a closer look. His sensors react a second faster than X's, turning behind quickly and shoving X out of the way. He’s hit by a large figure, taking a slash to his core that breaks through his armor and synthetic skin.

It's Double, the hunters are shocked to see his new appearance. His transformation turned the portly young hunter into a hulking figure with a deranged look on his face, he's snickering at the sight of dark red fluids from Zero's wounds on his hand blade.

X rushes to stop Zero from falling over, maneuvering one of his arms over his shoulder. The blue android glares at Double, still in shock at the betrayal.

“Double, how could you? Why are you doing this!”

He's gripping his free hand into a tight fist, trembling slightly. Double notices how enraged the maverick hunter is and chuckles.

“Oh this won't do...Master Gate told me to bring Zero back in one piece so he can study him more. I'm free to cut you to pieces, however!”

Zero tries to stop the large reploid again, but his body won’t move the way he wants it to. He’s frustrated, he’s been damaged badly from that last attack. He stumbles forward to try and stop the reploid but is pushed aside, Zero is thrown with enough force to slam into one of the walls of the room. The impact cracks the dome like encasing separating the robots from the water outside.

X looks over in a panic, his mind racing as he rushes to get to the red android's side.

“Zero!”

The maverick hunter dashes towards his friend and notices the terrified look on his face a moment too late. Zero screams.

“Look out, X!”

X gets close to the red android but Double shoves him aside. X narrowly dodges his hand blade but is grabbed by the neck. The robots make eye contact, X is glaring down at Double. The maverick smirks wildly, tightening his grip on X’s throat. Zero struggles to pick himself up, horrified that he might not be able to get up in time. When he hears Double laughing again he looks down so he doesn’t have to see his friend get destroyed.

“I'm so anxious to rip you ap---”

Zero snaps his head up at that, something had cut off the reploid's words.

The red android dimly thinks to himself that whatever it was also had cut off Double's head. X puts a hand to his neck to feel around for damage now that he was free, looking around once he's confirmed there wasn't anything major.

He turns his head up to face a pink reploid with neon green hair. She's holding glowing yellow discs in each of her hands, her posture is in a combat stance X recognizes from ninja inspired fighting styles. She smiles at him before looking down at Double's remains in disgust.

“He never was good at checking his surroundings....you two look like hell.”

Zero has managed to stand up at this point, struggling to walk up to the reploid that just saved X's life. He glares at her, which seems to only make her smile grow larger.

“A thank you would be appropriate, don't you think?”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Wouldn't you like to know...I guess I'm too good at my job, so I shouldn't be surprised you don't recognize me.”

Zero blinks at that, he's still irritated from being injured and incapable of assisting X so the woman's sass is pissing him off. She notices and tries to appear more warm toward the red android, although internally she was finding it funny how little patience he had. It was appropriate given all the information she knew on his creator.

“Easy there, I'm on your side. I'm Marino, the petty thief. More petty than thief, but I do some philanthropy here and there when there's information that needs to be shared. I came over when I realized you two were going to be alone with this guy, he's been on my radar for some time. I was kind enough to release you two times now and this time I saved your little friend, so maybe you should consider being a bit nicer.”

So then that meant she was the figure behind all this. His second chance was because this woman had been lurking in the shadows, but Zero and X are confused as to why. X is the first to raise his questions.

“Thank you for saving us, and for Zero. But why would a thief be interested in all of this?”

“A couple of reasons, actually. For one, if someone takes over the world and they don't let me do what I want, then I have a reason to be personally invested. For another, I discovered your friend's virus because it's one of my specialties. If there's information to be gathered on new tech or illnesses, I'm usually on the case. I've worked with your commander a couple times before you were even recruited to his unit, it's just not something you needed to be aware of.”

She winks at them after she finishes her explanation. Marino gives the maverick hunters a once over, making a 'tsk' sound that's accented by her looking at Zero’s broken abdomen.

“I can explain more on the ride back, we should get out of here. They might be sending reinforcements to try and finish you off.”

X nods at her, offering his shoulder to Zero who hesitates at first.

“It's alright, let me help you. It'll be faster if this way.” X says this and Zero relents, letting himself be half carried as X dashes.

They quickly exit the base, Marino has an aircraft ready for them to depart. The remainder of the flight is X asking Marino questions about her job, he's interested hearing her previous experience with Commander Sigma as well as her exploits that benefited reploids.

During one of her stories, Marino looks over to see Zero brooding to himself with his arms crossed over his injuries. She bites her tongue, it's too easy to tease him and he'd probably be upset if she interrupted his angst. Instead she spends the remainder of the flight informing X about the events leading up to Zero's release

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commander Sigma arrives at Dr. Cain’s research facility once more, his visits had been getting more frequent since X’s upgrade had been discovered. There’s been slow progress with the maverick virus and Zero’s history, but it seemed X’s creator had left a log of sorts behind in addition to the capsules. Dr. Cain had been trying to locate the capsules for some time but only ever found one. He had it brought into his facility for further studies, but this one appeared to be a defective or an earlier model. The message recorded into it was incomplete and most likely a test run, some of the dialogue was referencing robots that predated X. One came into view, he looked like a younger version of X. He seemed happy to help the aging Dr. Light set up the recording equipment in the capsule, at the end of the video the robot child waves excitedly.

Only Sigma and the Doctor have viewed this capsule since it didn't contain any attachments relevant for X, but they would show it to him once he returned from this mission. It was difficult making the time to inform the android when his schedule was hectic from the present threat.

Sigma looked down at his creator, the old man seemed to be holding up well for his age. His face was usually contorted in deep thought, but today it was especially disgruntled. Before he can ask what’s on the doctor’s mind, Dr. Cain speaks.

“I’m sure you know the present trouble with finding a cure for the maverick virus has been taking up more time than we can spare on our end. How are the hunters?”

“I couldn’t ask for more, you should see the way X jumped on this mission. When I told him he would get to work with Zero this time he couldn’t focus on anything else.”

Dr. Cain chuckled, running his fingers through his beard out of habit. Oh he’d love to see the look on their creators’ faces seeing how well those two got along. Dr. Light appeared to be a kind hearted man, possibly it would’ve made him happy to see the positive effect his creation had on beings in his surroundings. Dr. Wily seemed to be aware at least that his creation would struggle with being controlled, which might explain why the maverick virus existed at all.

“There’s still much more we need to learn, but I’ll bring you up to speed. There’s still a lot they don’t understand, but the general consensus is the side effects from the maverick virus are fast acting. It starts with clouding the infected reploid’s mind, jamming out reasoning and heightening negative emotions. As time passes, the reploid becomes more aggressive. Some reports also confirm cases where there are physical symptoms in later stages, it can be quiet painful during the middle phases which heightens irritability. At some point Mavericks no longer register pain and instead focus solely on destruction, the final product could produce someone as dangerous as Zero.”

Dr. Cain pauses, making sure Sigma is processing his words. He takes a deep breath before he continues.

“My concern is it seems all the maverick outbreaks lately are being centralized by Gate. It’s terrifying from what I've heard from the operators how well some reploids seem to be able to strategize while being infected. A lot of the fresher ones seem to have been taught that the virus should make reploids incapable of most complex thought, but then as quickly as we think we understand something there’s a new maverick that shows up with some exception to previously held knowledge.

There are a lot of contradictions when comparing all of the mavericks faced to those taken care of by Maverick Hunters, but based on my findings I have reason to believe it’s because Dr. Wily created the virus with the ability to evolve and adapt to different conditions. There could be potentially different strains of the maverick virus running rampant, which could explain why some mavericks seem to be able to think with a clear mind.” 

Dr. Cain exhales heavily, he puts a hand to his temple to try and keep away the approaching head ache. They were becoming more frequent.

“That’s an interesting bit of information, but as clear a mind as a maverick can have” Sigma adds.

“A maverick is a defective reploid as far as I’m concerned, and I’ve yet to hear from one that didn’t have some major flaw in their logic. Gate was a brilliant scientist before all of this and it’s unfortunate we lost his mind, but that’s just it. The reploid we could rely on turned into an enemy and lost all his credibility as far as I’m concerned the moment he decided that reploids couldn’t live alongside humanity.” The commander is completely serious while he speaks, his disdain evident by the disgusted look on his face.

He was still irritated over the official message sent to him personally and the operators on duty, the general idea being that humans repressed reploids and only stopped the progress of science. It was ridiculous for the commander to hear given all the lives that would be lost in the process, which was much more of a hindrance on progress than humans would ever be.

Dr. Cain is nodding his head. He couldn’t have said it better himself, it certainly would be frightful to think reploids would choose to go on murderous rampages.

“I’m worried, the maverick wars continue with no foreseeable end. There was no known cure to the maverick virus, and we keep discovering different methods of transferring it into reploids.”

“Well until then, the maverick hunters will choose to keep fighting. Small victories will just have to be enough until you or any of our researchers makes a break through, so right now I’m going to put all my energy into destroying Gate and the rest of the mavericks. My team feels the same way, I couldn’t have asked for better reploids. We’ll stop any threat that comes our way until we can cure the maverick virus for good.” 

Sigma clenches his fist then pounds it into the open palm of his other hand at his last string of words. He wouldn’t slow his efforts now, not when losing hope was always one tragedy away. He couldn’t afford to appear sad in front of the maverick hunters or his creator.

Dr. Cain smiles at his creation.

“Thank you Sigma, this old body needed to hear it. If pride and persistence were enough to cure the maverick virus, we’d be set.”

Sigma smirks at that.

“It’s too early to be thanking me, save the compliments after I bring you Gate’s remains for a thorough inspection.”

He walks over to the door in preparation to leave the old man, but not before saying one last thing.

“X will meet with you once he’s found the last capsule, I’ll personally see that he makes the time for it. Be patient, he’s almost there.”

Sigma salutes the old doctor, not needing to look back to know Dr. Cain nodded in understanding.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Vile was blowing off steam by testing out new weapons he’s crafted out in a desert. He liked being alone, a war machine like himself has no use for friends. It’s what he tells himself as he takes pride in watching a new flamethrower follow a path of dried brush. This one would be useful in underwater missions, it was capable of burning through mechaniloids even at the lowest levels of the ocean.

Vile respected strength, he had no purpose in life and so that meant if he were destroyed it would be as though he never existed. To lose meant being weak, and weaklings didn’t get written into history logbooks. In order to give his presence meaning, he needed to be stronger.

That was why bleeding hearts like X pissed him off so much. People died all the time and yet there was that stupid kid crying about someone breaking a nail on a mission. Vile was glad even then for having a reputation that kept people away, the maverick hunter in his rookie days included. It was nice being avoided, but it was still insufferable listening to him trying to befriend the other hunters.

Having allies was useful of course, Vile considered Sigma an ally for all intensive purposes. But it’s not like Vile cared if someone asked him out to celebrate after a mission.

Least, no one except the commander. It was a sort of an amusement the first time the commander offered him a small glass of ….something. He didn’t remember, Vile thought he was in trouble because he blew up a rookie hunter’s arm in the crossfire during that mission. He ended up being congratulated for the new weaponry being so effective, hence Sigma calling him into his office. Whatever it was, it was brown colored and it tasted like shit but he drank it down because it was there. His face was hidden by his helmet so the commander couldn’t tell what Vile thought of the liquid until he said blatantly humans were stupid for drinking this. Then he realized he was feeling warm from the effects of the liquid. It took a couple seconds but his sensors relaxed, and for a brief moment Vile felt the pleasant aftermath of his mind being completely numb.

He was quiet for a hot minute. The commander asked him what he thought of the fluid then, and Vile replied it still was shit but even shit could be useful once it was burned for fuel. Sigma laughed at that and it became a periodic meeting between the two. It was only ever during periods where Vile’s actions were beneficial to others. It was rare, there were twice as many occasions where he was being reprimanded for having stepped too far into maverick behavior, and sometimes the hunter wondered if there might be some truth to labeling him as such. It was hard to say for certain why he was the way he was. He was activated one day and he couldn’t remember ever being different. He liked to blow shit up and he was good at it. Simple as that.

Wordlessly, Vile threw a bomb at a collection of rocks. His sensors picked up on the intruder for a while now, they had been there after the purple hunter put his flamethrower away. Vile didn’t believe in warnings, it was more fun using up the ammo on the idiot who thought he could sneak up on him.

There was a small pile of debris left over, Vile walked over to kick through it. Whoever it was, they got away at just the right time.

“My, you are good…”

The octopus reploid was chuckling lightly behind Vile. Launch Octopus had a short triangular tube for a mouth that was curled upward in what Vile could only guess was a smile.

“Such a waste of craftsmanship, though. Pity you aren’t allowed to really go wild.”

Vile laughed contemptuously. Who the hell was the former member of the Maverick Hunters to judge him?

“You’re an idiot if you think those fools can keep me restrained.”

“Really? And here my sources told me you had a scuffle with their new hunter, the girlie looking swordsman. I heard he put you in your place not too long ago.”

Vile fires from the cannon on his back but Octopus already jumped up to dodge it. He lands on the other side of the purple reploid, laughing with two tentacles raised to his mouth.

“That temper is why I like you. You know, a lot of our little group are fans of your work.”

“I don’t care what your ‘group’ thinks.”

“You wouldn’t have to follow anyone’s orders if you joined us, you know. You’d be free to perfect your craft and test it out on real subjects.”

“I get plenty of practice blowing up my victims when the opportunity presents itself.”

It’s silent for several minutes. The octopus reploid stares down the hunter, there’s a dim red light just barely noticeable peering from within his helmet.

“I’m giving you a way to opt in. It’s your choice whether you take it, but don’t go burning all of your bridges. It could prove useful one day.”

Vile fires from his arm machine gun but it doesn’t make contact with anything. Launch Octopus jumps out of the way so quickly it looks as though he teleported. He’s gone for good this time, laughing as he disappears.

“We’ll be in touch…”

The words echo in the desert. Vile doesn’t respond to it, picking up his weapons as he prepares to leave. It’s annoying that he’ll need to find a new place for target practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> writing is hard and these chapters are progressively getting longer, this one being the biggest yet. i think about that scene in the manga where vile is just chilling by himself in a western style saloon drinking bourbon every day of my life. can reploids get drunk? if so, how? if they can't, why does sigma drink wine in some media then? it can't just be to make himself look more like a villain cause 'alcohol = evil', unless he's just that dedicated to the aesthetic. Or maybe he's so evil that he genuinely likes the taste of sour grapes...


	10. What It Means To Be Part Of A Team

Once the hunters returned to base with their new ally, it didn't take long for the Lifesavers to separate them into respective healing quarters. Marino was free to go since she hadn't suffered any damage, but X and Zero were taken to the critical condition center with record speed. X tried to tell the Lifesaver pushing him into a room that his condition wasn't that bad, but there was little room for discussion. The thief reploid waved them off, smiling widely at the glare sent her way by Zero. 

She wasn't completely finished here at Maverick H.Q, she still had some business to tend to with the commander. He should be back by now from his own rendezvous with Dr. Cain; he had sent her a message during the flight to base, letting her know he was on his way. She strolled through the hallway to the intelligence center, making an educated guess that Sigma would be speaking with his head operators about his reports if he arrived before her. 

Sitting at a desk typing furiously was Alia, the determination on her face masked away any appearance of exhaustion. The usually neat bun of her hair was slightly disheveled, there were obvious signs of stress on her face. Marino almost felt sorry for her. 

“Well hello, and where were they keeping you buried until now?”

Alia jerked up slightly, she had been so deep into the code of an encrypted file she didn't notice when the other reploid had entered the room. She blinked up at her, off guard.

“E-excuse me?”

“Marino, we've been working together but I thought it proper to introduce myself. You must be the person in charge of operations, right?” 

“Oh, you're the reploid the commander has been talking to... Thanks for all the help finding information, I'm trying not to pull my hair out getting through Gate's encrypted data. Our seasoned operators can't even make a dent into the defenses he has set up so it's mostly been on me to get some progress in that area. I'm sorry I can't take part in the meeting today, there's still a lot I need to finish up.”

Marino found it endearing the way the head for their intelligence managed to make a one sentence conversation into word vomit. She tried not to be blinded by the earnestness.

“So I've heard, you're impressive Alia”

Again she was being thrown off by their informant. Alia didn't know anything about the reploid except they were successful at stealing data when most hunters failed, and she was beneficial to Sigma staying ahead of his enemies when bio-hazards were present. Outside of that, there wasn't much else to work off of. The name and gender hadn't been known until this moment, and prior Alia thought of them more as a software than an actual person. She didn't know what was most off putting, the overly friendly tone she was being approached with or meeting the phantom that had been giving the hunters help scattered through the years.

“You know of me?”

“Hard not to, you've built quite the name for yourself. An accomplished researcher with the skills to become the head of the Maverick Hunter's intelligence, of course your name would appear a couple of times in my work.” 

“W-well, thank you. I appreciate the compliment, but I should be getting back to work. You're here to see Commander Sigma, correct?”

“I am, but I wouldn't say no to getting a meeting with you first. You look like you could use a coffee break.”

Now Alia was blushing, panicking slightly. She had work and for some reason she was getting more nervous by the second talking to Marino. 

“O-oh, I really shouldn't...The commander will be here soon I'm sure, I'll just connect to his line and see how far he is--”

“Come on, I've passed by on a couple of occasions and there hasn't been a single time it didn't look like you needed a drink.”

“There's a present threat that needs to be taken care of before I can rest.”

“And you don't think that taking a moment to relax won't help you perform better after? Isn't that what you tell your hunters?”

Alia is internally screaming out that she would love to take her own advice. If there were more reploids of her level available during these times of crisis, she would be jumping at the offer but she knows she shouldn't be leaving just yet. Not when she needed to get some progress done today, and frankly she was upset she wasn't at Gate's level so this wouldn't be taking her so long. Alia thanked whatever forces made the universe for Commander Sigma appearing shortly after Marino had spoken, he was smirking in a way that made it clear he had some idea of what the reploids were up to. 

“We can take as many breaks as we want once we've stopped Gate. For now, if you could fit it into your schedule, I believe there's business for us to discuss.”

“Of course Commander Sigma. Bye Alia” She winked then walked off with the commander into his office. 

Alia could breath again, but now she was back to focusing on the encrypted data in front of her. What was once a fun hobby in between research was becoming a miserable experience. Gate was brilliant, she knew this for years but it was tasking to try and somehow outsmart him. She never would've thought it possible of herself to think ahead of him back in their days when they worked together, but that was something she wouldn't say to any of her colleagues. It's not like she wanted anyone to understand her current mental state, she preferred handling personal matters alone. She needed to be there for the hunters she oversaw so they could fight on the field undisturbed by distractions. 

Emotional ties weren't against the rules exactly, but they were discouraged for that reason. She would try to look at this as a learning experience, she would never let her guard down around a reploid like she had with Gate again. It was more complicated than that, but she still hadn't processed the entire ordeal and she wasn't interested in exploring her emotions further. It felt better to focus on her work, though presently it was getting harder to maintain concentration when she hadn't made any tangible progress yet.

Before she could go too far into thoughts that involved chastising herself, there was someone else walking to her desk. She smiled this time because it was X arriving with a box of donuts, the damage he had taken from the surprise attack completely repaired. 

Inside the commander's office, Marino was completely serious while she had Sigma look over all the files she'd managed to acquire. She had learned more about the maverick virus, and Zero as a byproduct. She pointed to one file in particularly once Sigma scrolled to it. 

“There was a plan left over in Zero's memory banks that had been corrupted when Gate was messing around in there, I don't know what exactly. This will need to be given to Alia at some point if she can manage to break through his encryption and restore some of the data, I think that Gate knew what was on it and wanted to destroy it. It might have involved his plan to contaminate the continent with the maverick virus. Or possibly it could have explained why Zero was able to recover from the maverick viruses when no one else could.”

Sigma nods, then glances down the hallway through his partially open door at Alia. She accepted the gift from X, but didn't spend much time talking with him. She was back on her keyboard in a matter of minutes, typing at a speed few could rival. 

Despite the general consensus that there was hope, the current state from the surprise attack were stressed. Especially among the higher ranked hunters; it was difficult to remain calm when it seemed the second they relaxed Gate was appearing to exploit the opening. X's report on the ambush seemed to rattle Signas and Alia when they were already overworking themselves, Sigma did his best to mask his own anger. He wasn't scared like the others, not yet. There was still work they needed to complete, he wouldn't worry about their chances until they ran out of options. This was set back, but a relief that Marino had interfered when she did. He would have to bend over backwards to get the funding approved from the government to repay her. 

The general tension among the higher ranked hunters didn't go unnoticed by X. He was pushing himself whenever he was on the field for leads that would make it easier to locate the remaining mavericks, but there was only so much he could do. Sometimes it made him wonder if could help the operators with computer work, but when he raised the question back in his rookie days he was politely told it was more important for him to be ready to fight when the need arose. It still had the hunter feeling restless, notably when he saw Alia so uncharacteristically unput together.

X left quickly after visiting his friend, knowing better than to stick around when she was focused on work. He would try not to worry himself. With his repairs and maintenance finished for the day, he was free to go rest until his next mission. The blue android was grateful that his damage was minimal all things considered, he wasn't in nearly as bad a shape as Zero had been after their encounter with Double. It still frustrated the android, Gate had planted a double agent into their ranks disguised as a rookie hunter. They hadn't noticed, of course they wouldn't when they were stretching themselves thin with the hunters they currently had. X tried not to blame himself, but he felt as though if he had just paid more attention then maybe he would have noticed something off about the rookie. Something that would have prevented Zero from getting hurt...

The hunter went home with a lot on his mind, taking the long route with his motorcycle once he was out of H.Q. There was a lot to worry over; Alia, Zero, and the future if they didn't manage to stop the mavericks on the loose. He was grateful to be an android once he got to his room and plugged into his recharge station, shutting himself off was effective at silencing those thoughts even if it was only for a little while. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 3 weeks before Zero was repaired completely. The time in between felt longer for X, there were a few missions scattered that he was allowed to go on but he was banned from assisting in anything dangerous unless it was confirmed to be related to Gate. 

'I want my unit's best to focus on the bigger threat, not low life mavericks that you could take out in your sleep.'

Commander Sigma stressed this, instead favoring for his men to be prepared if the need arose. Alia had made some progress and they had located another base, but since it was an air force they were dealing with they sent out Storm Eagle's unit instead. The eagle reploid was among those considered an elite, it was only appropriate he would take over for a mission involving the air with his team. Before he left, he made it a point to check in with X under the guise of a spar. He didn't vocalize his disappointment at the blue android putting up a lackluster fight, the eagle reploid instead choosing his words carefully. 

'I know you consider him your friend, and I've been in your position before where it's hard to stay motivated when a close ally is out for repairs. Try not to let it affect you on the field.'

He patted X on the back when he walked away, knowing without having to look at his face that he was disappointed in himself too. 

Since then, X had been working harder to maintain his energy in Zero's absence. That didn't stop him from jumping to the healing center when he heard that today was his friend's release date. When he spotted large spiky blonde hair from far away, X picked up his pace to greet the other hunter.

He was tying up said hair, brushing his fingers through the thick vastness so there weren't any strands falling out, then placing his helmet back on. Zero looked up once he was finished to see X nearby, smiling up at him.

“You didn't wait long to get here...”

“Of course not! How are you feeling?”

Zero tilted his head from side to side, cracking his joints experimentally. He had only been awoken from his standby state several minutes before being told he was free to go, so there was some stiffness from lack of movement.

“I can't complain, it doesn't look like they did much besides patch up my mistakes. Actually, if you'd like how about a quick spar?”

“A fight already? But you just woke up!”

“Your point?”

X was finding it a trait he liked in the red android. He enjoyed fighting in a way that X was warming up to. It was hard to say for certain if it was that X liked fighting with Zero, or he didn't mind the fighting because it meant he could spend time with Zero. The logistics didn't matter, the hunter was already nodding in affirmation. 

“Alright, let's go check if one of the center's rooms are available.”

They walked down the hallway in comfortable silence. Once they were able to get a room, X was caught off guard by how quickly Zero dashed into his chest. He threw an uppercut, but stopped short of X's jawline. He was smirking, his face right next to X's while the blue android was frozen in place.

“Too slow...”

X pushed him back while pulling out his buster. He shouldn't have forgotten the other promised to come at him with everything on their last mission, but he wondered if it would've made a difference in him seeing that move coming. He fired shots to try and get back some control in the fight, but Zero was jumping from wall to wall, avoiding every one. 

“We sure that I'm the one who just got up today?”

X smiled in spite of himself, he missed this. Zero was rough but fair in his fights, even when he said he wouldn't hold back. X refused to disappoint his friend like he had with his previous sparring partners in the red android's absence, the least he could do was give him more of a challenge. 

Making use of his own dash, X closed the gap between them. He followed Zero, being cautious not to get within range of his saber. The other hunter had yet to pull out his weapons, something that X was willing to bet was meant as a challenge of sorts. The blue android would make goals in this fight, the first would be to make Zero pull out his buster or his saber. The second would be to corner him at least once. If he could fulfill both of those, then he could start thinking about the possibility of winning. 

His own restriction whenever he fought against Zero was that he would only use his buster, his copy shot was something he felt guilty using even though he knew Zero would never call it unfair if he did ever decide to pull it out during their matches. It didn't feel right, for some reason. X fired a charged shot, aiming near Zero in such a way that the other would dodge into X's trap. It went as he predicted, Zero was within range for X to dash in. 

He closed the gap, up against Zero's arms that the red android pulled up at the last second. The small victory didn't last long, X was being thrown into an opposing wall while Zero dashed off. This time the other hunter pulled out his own buster, firing a shot that made X's own get swallowed into the blast of energy. X dashed out of the way of it, Zero's charged shots were almost like DNA waves. It left a sizable dent in one of the large walls of the fighting arena. X was nervous, but he was also strangely excited. He'd managed to reach both of his goals in this one fight. That meant, maybe, just a little more...

“Your defenses are falling.”

Zero said this in a monotone X found unnerving. He backed away, realizing he shouldn't have let himself overthink the situation when Zero was on the offensive now. The blue android still was happy he made the other draw a weapon, he was just worried about the detail of Zero's buster having a stronger charge capability than his own. Thoughts of winning this time were slipping as he ran across the training room, struggling not to get hit by the pink blasts. 

The red android was smirking again, clearly enjoying himself when X was able to recognize his pattern and dive into his range once more. This time X dashed to get close enough that Zero couldn't fire his buster, throwing a closed fist that was aimed at his head. 

Right before X's melee attack could make a connection, an alarm was going off. The hunter froze, looking around to see that Nana was in the hallway with other members of the hunters' forces.

The androids looked at each other briefly, Zero smiling apologetically. 

“You'll get me next time, let's move.”

He punched X's shoulder in a playful manner that did little to ease X's frustration. He was so close, he practically felt Zero's breath on his face. It sent a thrill down his spine, next time he would get him for sure....maybe. It was hard not to realistically look at the situation as luck, those type of circumstances wouldn't be repeated. Zero wasn't the type to let his guard down the same way. 

The duo saluted the commander, he had been standing beside Nana. 

“We heard back from Storm Eagle, they need reinforcements. X, I'm sending you out with the rest of the unit. Zero, you're sitting this one out. I can't afford you getting broken again.”

Zero glared at Sigma, biting his tongue. He walked away, his annoyance being felt by everyone in the room even after he left. X looked up at the commander, he understood Sigma's reasoning but he also knew Zero didn't like the way that was phrased. In time X was sure they would understand each other's blunt manner of speaking, the blue android being grateful he was programmed with patience as well as a polite tone. It still made him slightly uncomfortable watching the interaction. He'd try to focus on the mission, it was worrying that someone of Eagle's strength could be in danger.

“Commander Sigma, what exactly happened with Storm Eagle's unit?”

“I'll explain everything once we've arrived, we need to act quickly. Reploids, move out!”

X followed his teammates, glancing back down the hallway even though he knew Zero was long gone. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zero was dashing through the court yard of hunter base, his plan was to get to the parking lot with the largest number of levels and stand on the highest platform by himself until X returned. He was aggravated and he didn't like how tense it made the reploids around him at hunter base, plus he liked being alone. 

The android tried to keep his mind blank while he was running, but he noticed in one of the garden areas he passed there was a reploid waving him over. It was Iris, so he ran back over to her.

Even though he was trying to mask his anger, he still was glaring. It was alright since she could tell he was trying and at this point he wasn't that intimidating to her anymore.

“You look like you're in a rush. I'm sorry you couldn't go on this mission.”

She saw the flicker of annoyance in his face, but it was gone in a second. He was getting better at that, she noted. 

“It's out of my hands, they won't need me as long as he's there...”

“You don't sound very confident.”

“I'm not worried about him, if that's what you wanted to know. Is that all you called me over for?”

She giggled, Iris was used to his back and forth from the times she listened in on missions with him. 

“It's going to be alright, this won't be like what happened with Double. For one thing, he's not alone. Plus there's something that he has to return back to base for.”

“What does that mean?” Zero blinked, not understanding the reploid.

“I mean even if the situation gets difficult, he'll make sure he comes back to you.”

Her flippant remark was slightly irritating to the red android. She could tell, but didn't let it bother her.

“And what makes you think that? Besides, even if that's true, what good would it do when he's fighting?”

“I can't say exactly what it is, but X wouldn't want you grumbling by yourself.”

“I don't—Listen, none of this matters. X will come back fine, so I don't have any reason to worry!”

“But you still are, and that makes you angry.”

“It's not making me angry, I—”

He didn't know how to phrase it. It was easier being annoyed than it was to acknowledge how much he cared about the situation. Zero hated to admit it, but he was still mad he failed with fighting Double. Iris was still being friendly despite the red android's temper flares. 

“For what it's worth, X still owes you a lot. If you hadn't rushed in during that fight, it would've been X who was cut by Double's blade. You ran in because you knew you'd be able to live through a hit like that since you have better armor, right?”

“Hmph....”

He looks down. It wasn't like he thought about it, it was the most logical action he could've taken in that moment. 

“I don't like being treated as less than a combat android when there's a mission I should be a part of. It's as simple as that.”

“Is it because you think that there might be another ambush like the one before?”

“Of course, Gate has predicted our movements several times now, why wouldn't I be worried!”

She was trying to fight down her laughter at that last remark, Zero not understanding. She put a hand up before she went on to explain.

“Was it that hard to admit you were worrying about him?”

Zero didn't realize he fell for that. Iris was full blown laughing now, though Zero was failing to see what was so funny about all this. 

“You should be more honest, you're already being more than a little obvious. X has an entire unit with him, plus the commander and Storm Eagle should be close by. More importantly, he cares about you a lot and he'd never want you to get sad because he fell in combat.”

Zero still felt like he was missing something. With a great deal of caution, he would press her further.

“...Explain.” 

That was the best he could come up with as a response. She's sighing, which doesn't make him feel any less stressed. 

“For a reploid that my brother says has the best learning capabilities, you can be pretty dense. Everyday you were out of commission, X was wandering around the base trying to keep himself busy so he wouldn't be depressed. You might have noticed this already, but X fights better when he has an emotional investment. Sigma said that's what makes him special, at least that's what I heard him saying to Alia... ” 

She trails off at the end, looking at the android trying to process it all. Having to think about it made him realize it was true, they had gotten pretty close in the short amount of time they'd known each other. X was Zero's first friend at the hunter base, a novel concept considering when they first met some 4, almost 5 months ago they were aiming weapons at each other. She notices him frowning deeply, so she tries to choose her next words carefully.

“For what it's worth, I like you too. You saved my life after all, and you're not as complicated as I'm sure you like to think you are. Besides, if X has a crush on you and my brother likes you, then that's proof enough you're a good guy.”

At that Zero looks at her even more astonished. Not that he didn't know what a crush was, his memory banks were full of casual terminology that was no doubt implemented by his creator so the red android would know how to blend in with humanity if the need was ever present. What alarmed him was how bluntly Iris said it that way. 

Did X have a crush on him? The blue android did enjoy spending all his free time with him...and he did make it a point to spar only with Zero once he was officially a member of Sigma's unit. But X was so friendly to most reploids, it was almost endearing how much of a push over he could be.

“Why would X feel that way? He's nice to everyone, too damn nice if you ask me! Wouldn't it make more sense for him to like someone like Alia, they've known each other longer and he's always worrying about her!”

Iris tried not to roll her eyes.

“Alia's like his mom, that's different! Besides, he's never brightened up that much with her like he does with you.”

Zero puts a hand to his chin in thought, frowning deeply. It was true, that and X followed Zero around everywhere when he had the opportunity to do so. 

“Alright, let's say you're right, but I'm not saying I believe you either. On the off chance it was true, what would that even mean?”

“Honestly? Probably nothing, you two seem to be getting along fine the way things are now.”

At that Zero relaxes slightly, since the one thing he knew for certain he wasn't programmed with was knowledge on what to do if he were on the receiving end of affections. Maybe X did think of him as closer than 'buddies', but for now it didn't really matter. Zero was content with their friendship presently, maybe the crush would go away by itself.

A part of Zero surprised himself when that thought made him feel strange. He wasn't sure what the feeling was exactly, but it definitely was a negative one. Zero didn't like it. It didn't benefit them on the battlefield to have X thinking of Zero romantically, or vice versa, if anything it could be a hindrance. And yet there was a selfishness somewhere, buried beneath the battle tactics and the blurred memories of his past, that wanted to remain someone special to X. 

Iris waved a hand in front of Zero's face, he didn't realize how long he had been quiet.

“Hello? Still there?”

He'd had his eyes closed for a several minutes, so she wasn't sure if he was still on. 

“I'm fine, just unsure of what to make of all this.”

“Don't worry too much about it, the take away should be X will always find a way to return to you so stop being angry.”

A small smile breaks through at that last part because she was right. He laughs a bit, realizing that she was what X meant when he told him eventually reploids would see through his icy exterior. 

“Alright, thank you Iris.”

They smile at each other for a moment, but he freezes when he feels a giant hand on his shoulder. Zero turns around to see Colonel smirking.

“You two seem to be getting along. I heard Zero here was rejected for a rescue mission, but I didn't think he would be out here with you, Iris. What have you been up to?”

Iris is giggling when she sees Zero awkwardly looking down. She decides it would be best if she did the talking.

“Up to?”

“Yes, up to. “

“Oh brother...”

Iris grabs her brother by the arm to drag him off, but not before winking at Zero and waving good bye. He doesn't listen in on their dialogue, but their gestures indicate whatever it is they're talking about is making Colonel wave his arms around. 

The red android sighs, having friends is weird. It didn't feel bad, though. Maybe he was also finding his place here among the reploids like X had, the shorter hunter had said it would happen whether Zero tried or not. Being around a community had that effect on people and reploids. Zero walked alone for a little while, the android hadn't spent much time in the landscape around Hunter base without X by his side. It was odd that he felt the blue hunter's absence when most of the time he was quiet. 

After a while he noticed he was getting an incoming call from an operator. It was Alia, she seemed to be in a panic.

“Zero! I can't get a hold of anyone out on the rescue mission, I need you to get down there! Gate set up a jammer around the area, none of our operators can get through. There's something they need to know, get down there as fast as you can. I'll explain everything...”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X left with a unit that he notices is composed of any hunter that was available. Once on board he recognizes them as Cyber Peacock, Gravity Beetle, Flame Stag, and Toxic Seahorse. Since this was a rescue mission, Sigma was accompanying them. The blue android was alert, a friend was in danger and he didn't want to be caught of guard this time. Storm Eagle needed him.

They landed at the air base, it was a massive port with ships parked in different areas. There weren't planes flying overhead currently, most likely because activity had been kept to a minimum. The maverick put in charge was Sting Chameleon, Storm Eagle had said he would personally see to taking down the traitor once his unit was confirmed for the mission. X was hoping wherever his friend was, he hadn't lost in a fight to Chameleon. 

He looked around briefly, off put by the quiet land. Sigma cleared his throat before speaking to the unit of hunters.

“We'll have to split up. Eagle had made the decision to divide his unit, he sent Overdrive Ostrich to lead their hunters to take care of the aircrafts and the mechaniloids while he would pursue the maverick. For this reason, I want X to locate Storm Eagle and assist in destroying Sting Chameleon. I'll be on the look out for other threats while obtaining information from their main computer, then Gravity Beetle is in charge of leading the rest of you in finding Overdrive Ostrich and the rest of the air force unit. Are we clear?”

The hunters saluted Sigma, X hesitant at first but then following suit. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by the commander.

“Any objections?”

“Uh, sir, I mean no disrespect but...”

Sigma cuts him off, smirking.

“Don't overthink it X, you'll hurt yourself. I saw you back there with Zero, you'll be fine on your own. It'll make Eagle proud.”

X nodded, there would be no discussion with the commander about his insecurities. The implication was clear that there was no room for failure. The hunters split up, X scanning his surroundings while he connected to Nana to hear what she knew. 

“Can you hear me, X?”

“Just barely, do you know Storm Eagle's location?”

“There's an interference in the region, it's hard to maintain connection. I'm looking it over, I'll send you a message when I have a lead. For now, if you keep going in your current direction there's some activity from mechaniloids. I'm breaking up, I have to disconnect. Good luck X.”

“Got it, thank you”

X dashes to the structure, it's larger than the ones back at Hunter Base. He assumes it must have been used for human commercial flights at some point in it's history. The hunter raises his buster, putting a hand on it to ready himself in case of an attack. X slowly attempted to open one of the doors, surprised to find it'd been locked from the inside. It doesn't budge when he pulls at it experimentally, deciding instead to kick it down. 

It appears almost empty but there in the center of the room is another of those mysterious blue capsules. It opens, revealing the same eerie green light blinking on to showcase the hologram of Dr. Light. 

“Inside this capsule are the Body Parts... Enter the capsule and equip them... And any damage you incur will be halved. It saddens me to think that the war has begun... But I know that you can bring back peace to the world, X... “

X steps inside the capsule, relaxing into the program as it ran it's course adjusting his system. This time his torso was changed, a white and gold armor appearing on his chest with broad blue shoulder coverings. His lower torso also had a white plate now, but it was still light and flexible enough for him to maneuver with ease. Looking at the changes, he couldn't help noting that the body parts vaguely resembled Zero's armor. The connection between their creators was complicated from the bits X knew, he wondered if Dr. Cain had learned anything new since the last time the android visited him. However, that would be a thought to worry over later.

The hunter dashed out from the building. For some reason he felt as though Dr. Light had also left him with a message that was telling him what direction to go in. It seemed to have worked, after some searching X located a swarm of mechaniloids fighting with Overdrive Ostrich and the other members of the 7th Airborne Unit.

X notices right away they're in a pretty bad state, he fires from his buster right away to aid them. There were 3 Gigantic Mechaniloid CF-0s, Ostrich dashing between swings of one's spiked arms. X fired a charged shot at the head, destroying one while he rushed over to Ostrich's side. He couldn't help but notice the disappointed look on Ostrich's face.

“Don't tell me they just sent you out here...”

X tried not to take it personally. If he were to imagine himself in a similar situation, he probably would also have been disheartened if his rescue team was a sole hunter.

“There's a unit on it's way. The commander is here as well, I'll send over the coordinates of our location right away.”

“Good luck with that, we've been trying for hours. I was hoping if we searched around we would be able to locate the jammer, but we kept getting hit with mechaniloids.”

“I'm sorry to hear that...have you heard anything from Eagle at least?”

“No, nothing...”

The hunters looked over and saw some of the members of the airborne unit struggling with the other CF-0s. They got into combat stances.

“We'll talk more later, let's get rid of these guys.”

X nodded at Ostrich, they rushed in to aid the hunters. Once the mechaniloids were taken care of, they ran along searching either for an area with less interference or to try and find the rescue unit. They end up at another, much larger structure that appears to have a cargo plane parked inside. At the front is Flame Mammoth, Sting Chameleon, and Crescent Grizzly. There was also a group of CF-0's behind them on standby. 

Flame Mammoth steps forward, putting a hand up at Chameleon and Grizzly as a sign for them to stand down.

“I want to take down X on my own, we have some unfinished business. I'm going to tear apart the reploid that cut off my trunk with my own strength!”

X has his buster raised, looking over at Ostrich. The bird reploid is looking around at his men and the enemies.

“We'll leave that maverick to you, my unit can take on the mechaniloids. I don't know if I can take those other two on my own...”

“You won't have to!”

All of the reploids and the mavericks look up at the sky. What appeared as a bird flying far off above approached the group with impressive speed, it's massive size being recognized as Storm Eagle. He lands next to Ostrich, nodding at his comrades. 

“X, this rematch is long overdue. I'll leave it to you to finish Mammoth, don't worry about us. Ostrich, you did well to keep everyone alive in my absence.”

“Thank you sir!”

X doesn't have long to hear the rest of the reploids reunion, he's already being attacked by Flame Mammoth. It seemed the mavericks learned from their fallen allies to focus on their objectives, Mammoth was jumping up then almost landing on top of the hunter. X dashed out of the way, but he stumbled over from the tremors. Despite being caught off guard, X still remembered Mammoth's attack pattern from their previous encounter. 

He doesn't need to cut off his nose this time, dodging his oil spills and the bursts of flames he sends. With a well timed storm tornado, X runs out of the way from Flame Mammoth's explosion. The hunter was also chalking it up to his upgrades for the relative ease he had in that fight. He looks around, noticing that Ostrich and Eagle were being kept busy with Crescent Grizzly's stock of weapons being fired at them. The rest of the airborne unit were flying around the CF-0's, X saw there were piles of a few already taken down robots. 

That was all accounted for, but the blue android wondered a second too late where Sting Chameleon was. 

The chameleon reploid had been hiding in the background until the right time to strike, leaving Grizzly to fend for himself. He catches X with his tongue then throws him, taking his time in hiding then reappearing in a sequence of attacks. He laughs maniacally, X feels a chill in his spine when in a brief moment he looks into the chameleon reploid's enhanced eyepiece. 

“Oh, don't worry X. I'm sure my comrades won't mind the sacrifices if I bring back your head.”

X manages to free himself from Chameleon's grip, firing rapidly to try and get some hits in. He misses, cursing when he sees the maverick camouflaging again.

“You've always been a coward, Sting Chameleon.”

The comment only makes the maverick laugh harder, the sound alerting X in time so he can dodge an attack from behind but not enough to get away from the chameleon reploid's tongue. He's trapped again, feeling himself getting crushed. His upgraded armor was keeping him from severe damages, but it wouldn't last forever. The hunter could already start to feel it cracking from the pressure.

The pressure is stopped before major damage could be done to his internal hardware. He's still being gripped by Chameleon, but for some reason the maverick appeared to have gone still. 

It was then that X noticed there was a glowing aura sticking out from Chameleon's eye, X has a mild heart attack looking at the tip of Zero's saber that appears centimeters in front of his nose. Zero lifts his saber and Chameleon so he can shoot him through the chest, the reploid going completely limp in death.

He throws Chameleon aside in blatant disrespect, not worrying about X's capability to land on a crouch from being released. He looks down at the other hunter and smiles while he offers a hand to help him up. 

“You did great on your own, but Sigma should've known better than to split up partners.”

X is smiling big enough that it takes up his entire face. Yes, they were friends and partners but it felt incredible to hear it being said out loud. 

“We still need to finish our match from earlier, I won't hold back next time.”

“I wouldn't go that far, maybe you shouldn't worry about overdoing yourself...”

He smiles while rubbing his head, which causes Zero to laugh. He bumps X on the chest, smirking.

“Believe in yourself more. You helped save those reploids. Let's take care of the rest then head back to base.”

“Got it”

The duo rush in to help Ostrich and Eagle take care of the remaining maverick and mechaniloids. The fight at that point was in their favor, to where the members of Eagle's unit could stand back and watch while their commander and his allies of A ranked hunters tore through with ease.

Eagle was about to go up to X to praise him, but paused when he saw X and Zero talking with each other. The leader of the airborne unit looked over at Ostrich, they shared a knowing gaze. They still needed to take down the generator creating the interference in communication, those two would follow soon after. For now, they walked away with Eagle chuckling. They reminded him more of himself when he first worked with Teal than partners on a unit...


	11. Determination Of The Maverick Hunters

When Sigma finally was able to get the connection up and running at the airbase, there was a backlog of messages sent to him instantly. The commander scrolled through the list for several minutes, trying to fight down his morbid sense of humor at the situation. There was a range in tone between panicked distress calls from Overdrive Ostrich, annoyed calls from Storm Eagle because he couldn't connect to his unit, annoyed calls from Gravity Beetle because they were unable to locate anyone, relieved calls from Cyber Peacock that he was able to connect to the base's computers so he could steal all of their data, then finally relieved calls from Ostrich and Eagle explaining how the situation was handled.

In between the messages sent from the maverick hunters were several from Alia. Her final message being that she was making the decision to go against Sigma's orders not to include Zero on this mission due to her locating new information. There would be several mavericks joining up on the airbase after Gate's intel confirmed X and Sigma would be in the vicinity. Since she was unable to get hold of Sigma, she thought Zero was their best bet to send out as reinforcement. 

Alia had been right, thanks to her work she was able to break through some of Gate's files and figure out that he had a left behind a program in their system that allowed him to snoop between their mission logs. With that threat removed, and the progress she was making with the remaining files they had available, the scientist felt the closest thing to being relaxed in months. It was nothing short of a miracle, and Sigma would remember to thank her personally. For now, he was writing up the report of the mission completed moments ago. 

On their aircraft, they had the unit chosen earlier as well as the entire 7th Airborne Unit, thankfully none of their members had been lost. X and Zero were sitting next to the commander, X was in the middle of the two helping Sigma fill out the report with the bits and pieces not mentioned prior. Zero was sitting with his eyes closed and his arms folded, outside of saluting the commander when they met up he hadn't made much of an effort to socialize. On the aircraft, the hunters had brought Lifesavers along since it was a rescue mission. Storm Eagle had suffered minor damage whereas his unit members ranged from moderate to severe injuries. 

Sigma overheard some of their trauma while he was typing, taking in the different characters that made up the Maverick Hunters with relief. They had come out victorious, again thanks to the joint effort of their members. He would try not to worry about the what if scenarios, he would get an earful of that from Signas and Alia once they were back at H.Q. After X had completed giving the commander all of his information about the mission, Sigma finished the report then closed his laptop. He looked across X over at Zero, resisting the urge to throw a fake punch at the android when he knew he was probably still in a bad mood. The kid was too smug about his capabilities, not that Sigma doubted he was a fine warrior but it was clear he made the same mistakes the commander did back in his rookie days. 

Although, there was a key difference the commander had to remind himself of. Zero had X, he wasn't working alone. He seemed to be on his best behavior when he worked with the blue android, Alia had recognized that in her decision to send him out rather than contacting Repliforce for back up. Sigma cleared his throat, causing X and other members of the Maverick Hunters to be at full attention. 

“I don't want anyone thinking they failed or to spend too much time thinking what they could have done better. Right now, I'm thankful to the efforts of everyone on this craft and at our operational facility for working together so we didn't lose any men out there today. Eagle, your unit was as incredible as ever and now that we know Gate had been tracking your movement, it's nothing short of exceptional that you were able to get out of there at all.”

The airborne unit saluted the commander, Eagle bowing his head at the end of the gesture. The head of the unit would most likely still feel guilt over the incident, but at least he would use it as a growing experience. It was what made him an impeccable hunter. Sigma continued his speech.

“X, I'm also impressed with how you handled yourself out there. I knew you would do well.”

X nodded, but Sigma could tell he had something on his mind. He smirked, speaking up to clarify.

“I know you weren't fighting alone, but your friend is sleeping on the job and I don't make a habit out of praising hunters who can't hear me.”

X's eyes widened, looking over at Zero. He still wasn't moving. He had fallen into standby mode at some point, it must have been pretty deep since he didn't respond to X lightly poking his shoulder plate. 

It took every bit of self restraint for the reploids on the ship not to make a sound. Sigma wasn't afraid of the red android waking up, so he laughed while the rest of the reploids were in complete silence until the aircraft landed.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once back at the center of operations, Sigma watched as Signas and Alia looked over his findings as well as the data Cyber Peacock had sent over. Alia had also made a major breakthrough while the hunters were away, there was in fact a maverick virus vaccine created by Dr. Wily, stored away somewhere in Zero's memory banks. The victory she felt in that moment was short lived, the vaccine had been deleted during his upgrades from Gate. 

While they were looking through the files, Signas tried to cheer her up by mentioning there was a chance Gate would still have a copy of the vaccine, potentially as a means of controlling Zero if the android had woken up while still in his maverick state. It would make sense as a means of controlling the red android, but it seemed slightly tragic that the creator never had the chance to administer it himself.

“Tragic? He was planning on sending out a rabid maverick on a small boy!”

Alia snapped her head to look at Signas. That had been another tidbit of knowledge they found in the remnants of Gate's files. Zero wasn't made necessarily to fight X, his primary objective had been to destroy his precursor. He had looked like X but much younger, they still weren't clear on the connection between the two robots exactly. Externally it was clear there was a relation, but as far as internal design went, X was still a mystery.

One thing Alia did know for sure, the original Mega Man wouldn't have stood a chance against that thing Zero used to be. The idea of it bringing all kinds of fears that she had fought down from that previous encounter where X recklessly let Zero escape. If the red android had still been a maverick in that encounter...

Her thoughts were paused by Sigma clearing his throat. 

“I know what you meant, Signas. Alia, I can see where you're coming from but let's focus on the task at hand.”

“Yes sir...”

“Signas, once we're finished here I want you to help me look over some old reports to compare our findings with our records on mavericks. There wasn't much that I could find from Dr. Cain, it looks like whatever was in Zero was the original strain. Our archives have been difficult to get a proper handling of since 'maverick' was more of a catch all term when the first reploid malfunctioned into attacking a human.”

Signas perked up at that. 

“Of course, Commander Sigma. I'll be ready to leave whenever you are.”

Sigma closed his eyes in thought, he didn't like splitting up his operators but he would come up with a solution to help Alia with her workload at a later time. The commander had some memories of the early age, back when Dr. Cain was building the first generation of reploids. Back then, because the concept of free will in a robot was still fairly new, it was harder for the humans building said robots to fully understand how said free will would work in practice since it was based off of attempts to replicate X's design.

Judging by the records that Alia had restored, Zero was in development slightly before X. He wasn't completed in time, left inside his capsule to be adjusted at a later point that would never come. Sigma had a theory of his own that aligned with Signas's slightly, Dr. Wily didn't finish Zero because he was too difficult to control or he was afraid he would go on a rampage after completing his objective of destroying Mega Man. 

The scientist had created the maverick virus in an attempt to control all of the robots that would come into contact with the android, but because he couldn't predict how violent it would make his creation, it became too dangerous to proceed in his programming. As far as his hardware went for the time, Zero was more or less complete. He and X were far more advanced than the robots of their time. 

Dr. Cain had learned more about the blue capsules from X, the android had been ordered to report to the archaeologist some time soon since he had found yet another upgrade. Sigma was aware that there were more recordings of Dr. Light hidden through out the world, it was clear that his creator had no intention of others being able to find the capsules. They were created only for X, that scientist having better hindsight than his rival as means of compensating for X's initial lackluster strength.

Sigma found it odd how they seemed to be capable of creating almost equal level androids, but because of their philosophies toward violence it nerfed them in different ways. Zero was born incapable of coherent thought in his maverick state, whereas X was incapable of unlocking his full strength unless some arbitrary concept of 'necessity' was met. It made Sigma appreciate that his creator had good intentions as well, but also had his own shortcomings. In the end, it seemed all androids were doomed to have flaws because of their creators. The more he was forced to think about these scenarios, he found himself wondering if all robots were destined to go maverick.

For the sake of their efforts, Sigma refused to believe that. If the cure still existed somewhere out there, they needed to find it quickly. If they couldn't, then more lives would be lost, reploids and humans alike. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time passed, and it seemed easier to send out hunters to different locations now that the threat of an ambush had diminished. X was given a few days resting period, but once he was back to 100% Sigma was already arranging his appointed visit with Dr. Cain. The hunter didn't mind, time spent with the doctor was usually worthwhile. He enjoyed X's company since the hunter indulged in his quirkiness and love for history. 

The conversation was a heavy one, the archaeologist turned scientist sharing all that he knew about Dr. Light. The time had come for X to learn why he was created based on the limited information they had available. 

“Do you understand the implication, X? You were meant to be an android with potential. It would only come out in times of crisis, and it seems that time is now.”

Dr. Cain looked at the blue android with a stern expression. X nodded, still reeling from the information thrown at him.

He was sitting at an old coffee table in the living room, looking down at the mug containing a hot drink in his hands. The doctor had made a new beverage in his spare time that would mimic tea for reploids, created for no reason other than to satisfy his urge to offer refreshments to guests which was becoming increasingly difficult as most of his guests weren't human these days. It was brewed bendezium mixed with hot fluids, an uplifter of sorts for robots after drinking it. Highly toxic to humans, so the old man kept his own drink far away.

“Um, Dr. Cain? I know that old man I kept seeing was Dr. Light and he dedicated his research to peace, which is good but other than that I feel like I still don't know very much about my past. I know you and the commander keep saying in time it should become apparent, but I feel like it's only gotten more complicated since we found Zero...”

“Oh? How so?”

“Well...Zero was given a direct objective. He was supposed to destroy a robot that I take after, but why? What could that robot have done to make Zero's creator so obsessed with revenge he would make the first maverick? And how does that affect what I need to do? I'll keep fighting mavericks for now, but...”

Dr. Cain raised an eyebrow, waiting for the android to finish. X was having a hard time phrasing it, but there was something bothering him. It seemed there was more to Dr. Light's research than he knew, but there was no time or incentive to look into it. If it were a time of peace, then maybe X could look more into his past. Presently, they would have to follow any leads on the maverick virus. That meant Dr. Light's history would be put to the side indefinitely, not until there was some connection to be made. 

X exhaled, he couldn't finish that train of thought. The feelings were there, he was mildly annoyed his creator decided to program him with so many during these times of stress. 

“I don't know, Dr. Cain. But don't worry, I won't stop fighting. Commander Sigma still has some use for me.”

He laughed a bit at that last part, Dr. Cain smiled in response.

“That's good to hear. You keep glancing at the screen, did you want to watch that video again?”

It was so strange looking at what could be considered his 'older' brother yet he looked like child. His face looked kind, he helped the old man with the same eagerness X had in his rookie days. To some extent he still was like that now, but X liked to think he'd matured since then. It gave him an odd sense of familiarity looking at Dr. Light and the original Mega Man, their interactions making it clear they considered each other family. It was touching in many ways, a robot and his human creator with an unbreakable bond. It was exactly what Dr. Cain wanted to emulate when he decided to create the first reploid.

X looked down shyly, fidgeting with the handle of his mug.

“If it's alright with you...”

“Of course! Let me grab you more tea while we're at it!”

He handed the old man his cup, grateful for his kindness. X decided he would look at the present situation as a motivator to restore peace and eliminate their current threat as quickly as possible. Once free from that stress, he could spend his time looking into Dr. Light and the robots he created for the benefit of humanity. Dr. Cain was his friend now, and it was the old man and some of the members of hunter base he considered his family.

For the time being, he would enjoy this moment for what it was then go back to base energized for his next mission.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the hunter had returned to the base, he wasn't surprised to find that it was full with researcher reploids running around. They were making progress both with taking back the locations run by mavericks as well as the discoveries related to the maverick virus. Once it became public knowledge that there was a cure to the source of all their troubles, it seemed the government jumped into action by pouring resources at the maverick hunters.

The hunter tried to navigate his way around the influx of robots, trying to locate Zero. Knowing him, he could be at the training center or he isolated himself at some remote building's rooftop. Seeing as the main center was filled with reploids, it might be a safer bet to assume the red android wanted to find shelter away from the large crowd rather than going to train. 

X went outside to walk through the courtyard to one of the buildings he knew Zero liked (the library and resource center had the most floors, so it's roof had the best view), he paused when he realized he was receiving a message from Alia. The next maverick's location had been announced, X was to be shipped out once he was at H.Q. He looked across the courtyard of the headquarters to the library facility not far off before turning around back to the main building. 

It was a pleasant surprise to see Zero was there with the other members of the 17th elite unit, apparently there were multiple leads that needed to be looked into. Boomerang Kuwanger was going to be sent on a joint effort with Repliforce to a jungle that had a research facility, his mission was to confirm if it was the main location of operations for Gate's forces. Colonel and a few select of his men were going along with Gravity Beetle and Flame Stag, if they were successful and this was in fact Gate's central base, they were instructed specifically to return immediately after. They would make the proper arrangements from there once the remaining mavericks were taken care of. 

X and Zero were going to be sent to an underwater base where Vile had confirmed Launch Octopus was located. Sigma didn't want Vile to spend too much in the location, his mission had been to set off the alarm at a dud location to try and trick the maverick forces into thinking the hunters made a mistake. It worked, they should have their guards lowered when X and Zero arrived. 

The plan was set, now they were back on the offensive. The hunters saluted Sigma at the end of the mission's explanation. Zero was smirking slightly, glancing at X.

“Seems nice that they're letting us take care of the mavericks this time.”

He looked over at Colonel, X thinking Zero looked like he was about to say something that would cause a fight to break out. X held his breath. 

Thankfully Sigma noticed ahead of time, cutting in before the red android could open his mouth again.

“Let's move out!”

The aircraft was larger this time in order to store the submarine X would be driving. Once they reach their coordinates, the submarine is ejected into the water. Their navigator is Iris this time, she happily reports in with the hunters. X notes she's been more cheery since becoming friends with Zero, something that makes him wonder if there was more to it than he knew. It's not like it was his business but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little curious. 

“Hey team, it seems you're in for smooth sailing until you hit the base. Good luck out there!”

“Thanks Iris, but we won't need luck. You should be saving that for your brother.”

Zero said that knowing full well their servers were connected to Boomerang Kuwanger's, meaning Colonel would hear that. X gave a small side eye, trying to brush it off.

“Hey now, we're all working together. Let's all do our best, right?”

Iris laughed nervously, grateful for X's intrusion. 

“That's exactly right. Don't hesitate to call in if you need any help!”

X heard the connection being closed at after that, looking over to see Zero staring out the window of the submarine. There weren't many naturally occurring fish anymore, the underwater base was built after efforts were put in to reduce toxicity levels in the water. It was never brought down to levels humans could handle, but reploids were assigned to the base a long time ago. It was run by Launch Octopus's naval force before X became a hunter. He had been an accomplished artist as well as an elite hunter, gaining the respect of his peers. X was among those who acknowledged his skills, although he found him odd. Before the hunter went maverick, X shrugged it aside by reminding himself that he was also considered an oddity among reploids. 

When they reached the location Vile had marked with a jamming signal to hide their presence, X and Zero left the submarine and began dashing through the water. Due to the buoyant nature of the metal they were made out of, jumping while dashing made going large distances easier even with the pressure from the low depths of the ocean. As they got closer to the base, they ran into fish and shark mechaniloids patrolling the area. Hundreds of Anglerge, schools of Sea Attackers, then squadrons of Gulpfers spanning the waters leading up to the entrance were just a few of the observed robots. X heard Iris reconnecting.

“You're walking into a mine field, want to hear another way in?”

X couldn't get a word in before Zero spoke.

“Will it take us longer to get there?”

“It might, but you'll avoid alerting their guards. If you wait a few seconds, I'll send over a map of the path you should take.”

“I hate waiting.”

“You're doing a great job so far, don't put Vile's efforts to waste.”

X could only watch, smiling awkwardly at Zero when he saw the other hunter crossing his arms in annoyance. He was starting to realize this was probably how he looked speaking with Zero back at hunter base to the others. It was nice that Iris was their operator given their current situation. 

He couldn't help watching the way the mechaniloids swam almost the same as regular fish. The fins propelled them through the light current, weaving around the bits of plant life remaining. It was eerily beautiful. 

Once the map was delivered, X scanned through it to memorize the layout. He looked over at Zero, nodding to let him know they could move forward. They have to swim around to a pipe some dozen or so yards away, an exit route Vile had left behind in his prior mission. Before X walks through, he has a sinking feeling in his stomach. He pushed it aside, making his way through with Zero not far behind.

The pipe lead directly into the base's navy fleet carrier. They dash through the building into the hall ways, but X glances around and notices that there's a fork in their path not taken into account on their map. It had him slightly worried, Vile had been the one who drew out the schematics that the operators used for this mission. His suspicion was getting the better of him, he looked over at Zero and stopped. The other hunter returned his gaze, confused at the gesture.

“Hey, I want to check this out real quick, if that's alright with you.”

“Fine by me, we already took one detour today. Care to explain what's on your mind?”

“It's nothing but a hunch...something's bothering me.”

“Fair enough, let's go.”

“Really? You don't need more of a justification?”

“No, not really. I trust you.”

X did his best not to let the unintended compliment go to his head, taking the lead in going through the branching path. What they found was something he would have never thought existed.

Hanging along the walls were the remains and severed body parts of previous reploids. It was a large laboratory of sorts, though the state of it was questionable from the mess of parts and limbs spread throughout. If it wasn't creepy enough, there were spills of reploid internal fluids stained on random areas, the most prevalent offender being what could only be called an autopsy table. There were various tools laying around and hanging on the walls, saws and drills among others. It resembled a chop shop more than a lab. X took in the entire scene, his mouth slightly ajar while he tried to keep himself from making a sound in shock. It was difficult, some of the pieces he recognized from previous mavericks he had faced. 

Zero was more composed than X, walking around to get a closer look at the lab. He was scanning the vicinity, making sure they were completely alone while also sending information to Iris for their records. Whatever was going on in here, it creeped him out too. He walked back to the other hunter, snapping him out of it by putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Let's keep moving, we found this place but I doubt we'll get much information from here. Let's head to the center and see what we can find on their computers.”

X glanced around, still shaken up. Zero started to walk away, X following him closely. He would be able to process what he just saw in a few minutes, it was still overloading his system. He was grateful for Zero making an excuse for them to leave, following his quick pace while being careful to remain discrete. 

When they reached the core, the hunters were already aware that Launch Octopus wasn't alone. Standing next to him was Metal Shark Player, X recognized him from prior reports on maverick activity.

“Be careful Zero, Metal Shark Player was made a maverick before Gate's operation began. He was arrested for DNA resurrection, he had been using deceased mavericks body parts to rebuild them.”

Metal Shark Player chuckled.

“I'm honored the legendary X knows of my work. But I'm afraid this game ends here. Your friend left behind quite the trail, it was almost like he wanted us to know you were coming--”

Zero cut him off, rushing in with his saber. Metal Shark Player barely has the time to react, protecting himself by putting up his anchor to push back against the attack. Zero grits his teeth, putting his body weight into it.

“Can't you people just shut up and fight? I'm getting sick of hearing the backstories from you mavericks!”

X looks over at Launch Octopus who is covering his mouth with one of his tentacles to stifle his laughter. 

“My, he's a fun one. I guess that means I'll have to settle for you, X. It's been too long, you better not disappoint me.”

Metal Shark Player had been eager to test out some of his 'zombie' reploids on the maverick hunters, Zero would make for a suitable opponent. He summoned a few, irritated that because they were still in the early phases of being restored they couldn't move fast enough to be of real threat to the red android. At least they would slow him down enough to potentially make an opening for the shark reploid. Least, that was his hope, though it was slowly being destroyed with every slash Zero made through his servants.

X meanwhile was using a combination of rolling shield and charged shots of his buster. He had gotten the new skill for his copy shot during the weeks Zero was out of commission, part of his preparations included spending time with Armored Armadillo since he was an effective force of their elite hunters. The armadillo reploid had told him after their final spar the best way to use his power on the Launch Octopus should he ever face him on a mission. His pattern was to jump around and shoot his homing torpedoes, Armadillo told him the best way to deal with an enemy that moved around quickly was to find his own rhythm after he got used to his enemy's pattern. 

When Octopus tried to drag him into his whirlpool using his tentacles, X dashed out of the way then prepared himself to fire another homing shield. It wasn't an easy fight, but X manages to win without taking too much damage. He looks over hoping he impressed Zero, somewhat disheartened when he realized Zero had taken down Metal Shark Player in a much shorter span of time while X was busy with the maverick. Shark Player's zombie robots are left in a pile of rubble all around them. 

“You are really amazing, Zero. I hope you aren't annoyed with having to wait.”

X looked down slightly while he says this. Zero blinks at this, he's not irritated so he doesn't know what to say at X's comment. Frankly, he didn't think he could be irritated with X when they were fighting together, not unless the other tried to show mercy. So far, they seemed to work well together. 

Iris is pinching the bridge of her nose, watching the whole display. She discreetly turns off her connection with X so she can whisper to Zero.

“Maybe you should tell him you're not disappointed.”

Zero gave a confused noise quiet enough not to alert X. He shakes his head, deciding to do it anyway.

“I'm not disappointed, X.”

“Alright, I appreciate hearing it. Sometimes I worry since I can't fight at the same level as you...”

Without missing a beat Iris speaks up once more into the server.

“Tell X what you thought of his fighting.”

Zero shrugs internally again and tells X. 

“I think your fight could've gone a lot faster if you tried using the boomerang cutter to cut off Launch Octopus's arms instead of focusing so much on dodging his attacks. It worked well enough with Flame Mammoth's trunk and it shouldn't be that different to Octopus's tentacles. It's good to be defensive, but there are situations where it's more productive to go in aggressively, especially if it's someone who's constantly moving like Launch Octopus.”

Iris is about to put her face in her hands, Zero wasn't the best at being tactful and she worried that comment might have hurt X's feelings. Before she can worry too much, X was speaking.

“That's good to know, I'm glad you were watching then. I'll remember that, my next fight will go better for sure!”

Iris releases a breath she had been holding in, she forgot that X is a hunter after all and Zero's input is similar to what Sigma and other hunters have told him before. Zero smiles at X, understanding now what Iris was doing and why his words made the hunter so happy. She was right, their friendship was fine the way it was for X. All Zero needed to do was keep being himself. In that sense, the red android appreciated X for being easy to be around. 

They split the work of going through the computers and taking pictures of Metal Shark Player's laboratory. X insisted he wanted to go with Zero when the other offered to check out the lab by himself. He was still unnerved by the area, but he wanted to look around with his own eyes while he was still on site. 

Once the information all of the information was sent over to H.Q, it was a peaceful ride back to the surface. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At Maverick Hunters Headquarters, X and Zero were welcomed back by their superior officers and operator. Colonel's unit hadn't returned yet, but it seemed they were in the process of sending over the information they managed to gather. Once they were dismissed, X noticed that it had only been Signas and Sigma speaking with the hunters. He looked around the operational building, spotting Alia at her desk near Sigma's office. 

Of everyone on their force, she seemed to be the one making the most progress based off of the data they received from the maverick bases. It seemed she was getting better at breaking through Gate's files, and their other operators were busy overlooking missions for their hunters. For that reason, she was also working the longest shifts. Some days it was remarkable to see her take a 10 minute break just to add lubricant to her joints, it made X a little sad when she would joke she was aging faster than they could hunt down the mavericks. It wasn't true, she was still far from obsolete but it did worry X that she was put in this position. 

Zero watched the entire dilemma X was dealing with internally, half listening to the reploids talking around him before deciding to walk away from Signas and Iris's discussion on some new drama show they were mutual fans of. He waved for X's attention before speaking.

“I'm surprised she hasn't passed out on the job yet.”

X sighed before he replied.

“She did a few times back when she was a scientist. She told me Gate used to laugh and bring them coffee during crunch time. I can't imagine the kind of concentration it takes to be able to hold it all together when there's that emotional investment on the line...”

“You can't? I thought that was what made you special.”

The joke was meant to lighten the mood, but Zero could tell by X's pained expression it wasn't working. X had tried to think how he would approach a situation like Alia's before, and it always seemed to end up with X wanting to give up or go directly to the former friend and potentially get destroyed in the process. It was a difficult position, and yet she still made time to worry about X's well being as well as the other hunters above taking care of herself. 

“You've been here a little while now, so you know a lot of important functions for the Maverick Hunters wouldn't even be running if it weren't for Alia. I just wish...there was more we could do so she wouldn't have to work beyond her limits.”

“I was just thinking how to fix that issue myself.”

X froze, the deep voice coming from the figure behind him. Zero saluted Commander Sigma, smirking at X's 'deer in head lights' expression. 

“So X, have any ideas you'd like to share?”

“W-well uh, no, not yet sir...”

“That's too bad, and here I thought you would've noticed some of our operators who could've made good candidates for a specialized task force. As I'm sure you're aware we're already spreading ourselves thin, so if there were cases from our lower ranks that I might've missed...”

X's eyes widened at that, now there was an idea. Nana immediately came to mind, but she was often busy on navigation duty. Of their younger reploids however there was A-1, Techno, and Middy. This could be the opportunity for them to elevate their rankings, since they were well beyond the scope of their peers even back when X worked with them. The blue android smiled, Sigma really did think of everything.

“Actually, I can give you a list of names right away.”

“Excellent, I'll let you break the news to her. And in case you didn't hear me the first time, good work out there on that last mission, X.”

“Thank you sir!”

X saluted the commander, watching as he walked away. Zero was leaning against the wall, taking in the whole exchange with an amused expression. Sigma was a smart ass, but he was good at what he did. In that regard, the red android was coming to respect the reploid in new ways. When X looked over at him, he gave the android a thumbs up.

“Let's go tell Alia already.”

“Right!”

Sigma went back to his office, but he made sure to leave his door open so he could keep an eye on the androids. Signas was sitting at a table, scrolling through the documents he and Sigma had acquired from Dr. Cain, following the commander's gaze to join in the observation. They overheard the entire exchange, Sigma chuckling lightly when Alia practically jumped up from her seat at the news. 

The three of them put their hands forward, making a pact to bring Gate to justice before the end of the year together. It was endearing hearing their words, each emotion behind it appropriately capturing their personalities. Alia was serious but confident in their team, Zero had a cockiness about him but admitted it was useful to have their help along the way, and X worded himself to denote that failure wasn't an option. Signas and Sigma shared a smile from watching the trio of friends before focusing back on their own work. The bond in their little team was heartwarming in these trying times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes that was a metroid prime reference to the people who caught it, don't worry about it. Point is....tea is good, why not have tea for the robots? I like how dr. cain is a comic relief character in the manga and a supplement for X's upgrades, they did more for his character than maverick hunter x or any of the original series ever did. We need more silly old dudes out there...making stupid upgrades...braiding Zero's hair...throwing down funky stances with Dr. Doppler... 
> 
> Also I love how A-1 looks like some kid in his rabbit pajamas compared to reploid children like Middy and Techno. The updates are going to be much slower cause ya know, school and work, life, that fun stuff, but I'm not done with this story. There aren't that many chapters left, and in a way it's fun writing this in between the stress from those other things so...yeah


	12. Prelude to The Final Battle

The mountain plain had been burned to a graveyard of plants and the animal life; what was once a region thriving with life had been destroyed by human recklessness. Even with the best conservation efforts in their present time, there were still those moments where nature was damaged by the carelessness of those in power. It would have been a depressing place for someone who cared about that kind of thing, but currently the only sentient being in the area was Vile.

Dead plants were good for explosives, and thankfully he was alone once more with this thoughts and his weaponry. It had been annoying finding a new place to get away from it all while being kept busy doing scouting jobs for Sigma. He left the hunter base once he heard about Launch Octopus's death, as well as Metal Shark Player's. At this point it would be difficult to revive those reploids, it was Shark Player's assistance that had been beneficial to Gate's efforts in the first place. The DNA specialist had a gift for reprogramming their fallen allies. It was part of the reason Vile decided to stay under Sigma's alliance for now. The idea of himself falling in combat then getting restored with his mind controlled by some arrogant freak didn't sit right with him.

He didn't like to think about it very much. At least with the hunters and Sigma he still had some autonomy, enough to where he was allowed to wander off like this even during a maverick outbreak. Yet there was still something bothering him, the idea of freedom had been planted by Octopus and wouldn't go away. A world where he could do as he pleased, not worrying about the day he went too far and Sigma decided his risk was greater than his usefulness. In an ever changing world, a robot with a bad temperament was doomed to be obsolete sooner than later. 

That might've been why Vile himself wondered if he was a maverick. The line seemed to get blurrier as Sigma tried to explain his findings from the reports he was studying with Signas, the purple reploid half listening to the lecture given to the 17th unit. Vile knew now with Gate's limited forces they were in for a difficult final battle. It wouldn't be surprising if he was visited one last time by the enemy before Sigma made his next move. 

He threw a bomb, enjoying the way it made the dirt rise then fall. He sat motionlessly while a cloud of dust fell around him. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There were only three mavericks left to take down, and it was all thanks to Colonel and the 17th unit's efforts the hunters were able to find their location so soon. Riding off the momentum of the last success, X and Zero were glad to be sent out on the mission. As a precaution, Colonel was sent along since it was expected the security would be high.

They set off to a swamp that had been revamped into a factory for machinery, Zero and Colonel taking care of most of the battling while X tried to keep up. Once they had landed in the region, the sword using robots immediately tried to see who could destroy the most mechaniloids. What would have been a stealth mission was thrown out the window when Colonel had convinced General ahead of time that their team would have no issues plowing through Wheel Gator's defenses. His words were along the lines of 'with the skill level of the team, even if they had a surprise attack it wouldn't matter'.

Iris reprised her role of navigator, but she was having difficulty paying attention. Her brother and Zero were some of the strongest robots she knew, so she didn't worry nearly as much as she would have in a standard mission. Sitting next to her at the base was Nana, overlooking a mission for Storm Eagle's unit that was going smoothly, and the newly promoted A-1 working on decrypting files for Alia. There's a pile of snacks placed in the middle of their desks for the reploids to share, including tea and chips. 

Iris passed a bag of cookies to A-1, the boy reploid gladly accepting. The other reploids had been listening in and out to her brother and Zero having their rivalry in the middle of a mission; their friendship was certainly entertaining. It was a pleasant distraction from the all the stress at H.Q. Iris had been recording information that had been sent her way, pausing to listen in on X trying to get Zero and Colonel's attention. 

“Hey, guys! Wait up, I thought there was a small center for weapons around this corner--”

Before the hunter could finish his sentence, he's jumping back to avoid a tree falling with a heavy thud. He looks around for a bit, making eye contact with Zero. The red android has an apologetic smile on his face in clear guilt. X narrowed his eyes, half teasing by glaring at his friend.

“Do you really need to compete at a time like this?”

Zero folds his arms across his chest. If it weren't for the battle between himself and Colonel currently going on he wouldn't have been irritated, but it was hard to explain concepts like a warrior's obligations to someone who didn't like fighting. He would still try since the blue hunter was someone he wanted to make more patience for.

“X, it's a matter of my pride now. I can't bring shame to our unit. I'm doing this for our sake. You understand me, right?”

X smiled, wondering how these two had gotten such high statuses in their respective groups. He lets it go, at least going through this 'stage' was interesting. The hunter realized that he hadn't even needed to pull out his buster yet, watching as Colonel triumphantly pointed out he had a higher score than Zero's presently.

X knew this was a good thing, he's been around hunters who would make a sport out of missions before. It's good too that Zero and Colonel get along so well, during these times where they had been betrayed by a fair amount of reploids it was important they cherish the relationships they still had. 

Jet Stingray, Bubble Crab, and Wheel Gator were the last of the mavericks, their intel reporting that the three were sticking close together because it was falling on them not to mess up. They couldn't afford to lose their last base of operation outside of the research center. From previous reports X had studied, he learned that there was a history of Wheel Gator and Bubble Crab hating each other. It could prove beneficial once they were fighting, so he stashed away the report in his memory banks. Jet Stingray was another story, he had been a member of the navy like Launch Octopus and had been someone Repliforce regularly worked with. To lose the accomplished military officer had been a large hit, in a similar vein to the Maverick Hunters being disheartened when they lost Octopus.

Before the hunters know it, they've arrived at a large building that resembles an alligator. As they run through the corridor, they can hear bickering from the center of this base. It's Bubble Crab and Wheel Gator, they appear to be in the midst of a yelling match.

“Look, I'm better suited to fight X. Colonel has beaten me before, and I doubt I'd be able to land a hit on that girly looking robot. My attacks are too much like Spike Rosered, that monster would wipe the floor with me. You have better speed than I do, so it's only fair!”

“You're using that as an excuse to kill me off! You'd rather let me fall and escape than stand up for our rights as reploids, you coward! And I've never heard you say I had better speed until this moment!”

Jet Stingray yells to get their attention, having noticed that the maverick hunters had arrived before the others.

“Idiots! I don't care who you fight, just do it!”

There was some scrambling, the alligator and crab reploid freaking out a bit before taking on a fighting stance. Bubble Crab and Gator glance at each other, they would form a temporary truce. Wheel Gator smirks, looking down at the maverick hunters while he tried to come up with a strategy. 

“Fine, I guess you're right...it doesn't matter who we fight, we just need to make sure we don't fail.”

Bubble Crab looked at him, voicing his assent.

“I agree---”

The crustacean reploid was cut off by Gator shoving him towards Zero while the other wasn't looking. It saved the maverick hunters the effort of making a strategy, Colonel looking at Stingray since the other mavericks were being accounted for.

X was used to being underestimated at this point of his maverick hunting career. His temperament made it difficult to get under his skin in most scenarios, especially with insults directed at himself. He didn't take much personally, which would usually frustrate his allies when there was a joint mission and the hunter didn't seem to stick up for himself much. 

Insults directed at his friends however were unforgivable, especially when Zero had been working so hard to to help everyone only to be dismissed as a 'monster'. The crude nature of Wheel Gator's words had him charging up his X buster in preparation prior to the maverick pushing Bubble Crab out of the way. 

Making good use of his dashing capabilities, X jumped around while memorizing Wheel Gator's attack pattern. The hunter's mind was clear and focused, tuning out the yelling from the other battles happening around him. The maverick he was facing would dive under the mud in the swamp, moving with the subtle waves to strike from below. It wasn't difficult to counter, even when Gator would throw in his spinning attack to launch himself through the air. 

Gator became progressively more frantic, his strategy becoming sporadic as he realized he wasn't capable of landing a single hit on the hunter. It was insulting since he kept getting caught by blasts of X's charged shots, it shouldn't have been this difficult. X could move much quicker than Gate's reports had said, and he seemed to only have gotten stronger from each of his fights. Gator realized he wouldn't last much longer if this went on, trying to throw out his razor wheels hoping they would distract the hunter enough to where he could land a decent attack of his own. In a last ditch effort, he released several at once then spun himself to make a direct hit with X, only to realize the other was moving too fast. X avoided the assault, then grabbed Wheel Gator by wrapping his arm around the reploid's neck. 

Gator was frozen in shock from the melee attack, he had studied X extensively from Gate's research and he was positive the other never would make risky close combat like this. He was paralyzed in the other's grip, his mouth hanging open. Before he could react, X fired a charged into his mouth, jumping off to avoid the explosion from Wheel Gator's destruction. 

X stared at the the remains of the maverick that fell around the floor while holding his X buster up. He only lowered his weapon once all of the debris was on the ground, clicking his head piece to check in with the operation center. He was met with the sound of Iris, Nana, and A-1 trying to get the first word in.

“That was amazing! You wiped the floor with that guy!!”

“Great work X!!! You're incredible!”

“I can't usually sit through an entire fight, but that was nothing short of spectacular.”

X put a hand behind his head while looking down, feeling himself blushing at the onslaught. It felt good though, in spite of his awkwardness he didn't mind the attention. 

Meanwhile, Zero had just finished up Bubble Crab around the same time that Colonel defeated Jet Stringray. The red hunter looks across the room smugly at Colonel, placing his sword back into the sheathe on his back. 

“Looks like I won this time, too bad Colonel.”

“Hmph, your sensory processors must be off since I don't recall you finishing before I did.”

“Uh, guys? I'm pretty sure X won this time."

Iris couldn't help cutting in to point this out, making X wish he could disappear when the other two robots looked his way. He didn't know what to say, he wasn't trying to take part in their game. 

“I....uh....”

Zero's eyes had widened when he realized it was true, he smiled at his friend then winked. Colonel was about to make a comment, but Zero put a hand in front of him to stop it.

“Great job X, I guess I lost this time after all. I can concede defeat if it's you.” 

Colonel moved Zero's hand out of the way, trying to point out that there was still the contest of who beat the most mechaniloids as well but he never managed to get a word in as the operators and Zero put their focus on X. Iris connected herself to speak directly with her brother to quiet him down.

“I'll explain it later. Let those two have their moment, you really only understand fighting...”

Colonel raises an eyebrow but relaxes, it's not like it mattered much now. The threat was taken care of, and it seemed Sigma was training the members of his unit adequately. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they returned to Hunter Base, Zero and X are met by Sigma at the entrance. He directed them to stay on board the aircraft, the duo looking around as Colonel left to report with General. X watched Sigma clear his throat, the large reploid beginning to explain himself. 

“We need you two to make a trip to see Dr. Cain. It's overdue for Zero to meet the old man. X, you're instructed to join him. I'm glad you two came out of there unharmed, we're almost done making our preparations for the final mission and I need you to be ready to leave once you're finished with the doctor.”

X nodded, he was expecting their next action to be quick but it seemed almost unreal. Their last mission to take down Gate for good, it made sense they needed to strike right away while the scientist was defenseless. There were no more mavericks, it was the perfect opportunity to storm his fortress. X and Zero saluted the commander, going back inside the aircraft to be flown over to Dr. Cain's research facility. 

They arrived in under 15 minutes, it seemed the reploid controlling the aircraft was given instructions to rush them over. X smiles when he sees the doctor waiting for them outside, he's grinning up at them with both of his hands holding the handle of his cane. 

The elderly man was always happy to see X, but he was especially excited to finally meet the former red maverick. He would be lying if he didn't admit he was also nervous on how the android would react to information he was about to share. Gate no doubt had been studying a similar history of Zero's creation, it was agreed upon by himself and Sigma that the red android should hear the truth now before they sent him off and he potentially was thrown off in the middle of a battle.

He guided the robots inside toward his office, urging them to get comfortable since it would be a long conversation. X sat on a couch across from the doctor's desk, Zero following suit. The blue android noted the old man tugging at his beard nervously.

“Well, it's certainly an honor to meet the phantom himself. You're a difficult robot to understand, Zero, but it's time I give you the full report of our findings...”

Dr. Cain went on to explain that Zero was created not only as the original carrier to the maverick virus, but he had a more important goal his creator wanted fulfilled. Zero was to be his greatest creation, his objective was to defeat Dr. Light's strongest robot master. The red android should be fully aware by this point that Dr. Light was X's creator, X being the spiritual successor to the robot that had been Wily's greatest threat, Mega Man. In summation, Zero was meant to kill X then potentially help the evil scientist take over the world. They haven't been able to confirm yet why the maverick virus had been created, but judging by the logs left over of Wily having issues controlling the prototype reploid that was Zero's precursor, it was possible he had created it to override Zero's mind to take control of him if the need ever came up. If that was the case, it was a bit ironic, but there was nothing else they were able to find as of yet that could give a more coherent explanation.

There was a pause while Zero took it all in, X looking down while the doctor spoke because he knew this would come up some day. He just didn't know what to say to his friend, because they were essentially best friends at this point. X put a hand on Zero's shoulder that was meant to be reassuring, but Zero pulled away with a jerk. The harsh movement has X thinking that his gesture might have irritated Zero, deciding it would be better if he waited somewhere else.

“I should step outside for a bit. Call me when you're finished, Dr. Cain.” 

Zero didn't hear the hurt in X's voice, he was still processing the entire discussion. Dr. Cain on the other hand noticed the shift in the android's mood immediately. He doesn't make a comment until the sound of X's footsteps couldn't be heard anymore. 

“He seems to care deeply for you, I'd give anything in the world to see what your respective creators would make of it. One of many unprecedented side effects of giving robots the ability to make their own decisions.”

The dry laughter Dr. Cain forces out irritates Zero further. He clenches his fists.

“And what difference does that make? I couldn't exactly think properly when I was a maverick, I could've just as easily killed X.”

“But you didn't...”

Dr. Cain is puzzled for a moment, not entirely sure where the source of rage the android was struggling with was coming from. His confusion seemed to anger Zero further, so he let the android speak first.

“From what you've told me, it seems an awful lot like all of the suffering of every reploid I've met has been my fault. X should have been made to destroy me then, not the other way around. It's too late now, Gate got infected because he decided to mess around in my system before he understood what was wrong with me. People have died all because some old bastard couldn't let go of a grudge...”

Dr. Cain stares at him grimly, they look at each other for a long time in silence. 

After several moments, the doctor looks down at the carpet. He was trying not to be overwhelmed by how dramatic the android was, he does his best not to laugh at Zero, but in the end he can't hold back a small chuckle. This infuriated the robot, but Dr. Cain held up a hand to try and explain himself before the android could explode again.

“That's certainly one conclusion you could make based on the reports. If it's alright with you, I'd like to ask you a few questions. What made you protect those reploids at the hunter base when you could have just as easily run away? I recall Sigma made you the offer to become a hunter, but that could have been a ruse. You had no reason to trust him, yet you still decided to stay back and defend reploids that had no relationship to yourself. Why would you risk being put back into hibernation for their sake?”

Zero blinked, not understanding how that was connected to their conversation at all. Thinking back on it, he had no clue why he did it outside of remembering that X and Sigma hadn't destroyed him when they had a chance. It seemed so long ago... He let the old man speak further since he was having a hard time coming up with a reason. 

“Have any of the reploids you've come into contact with since coming out of your maverick state turned maverick? It might seem a bit odd, and you haven't been a hunter nearly as long as X or his colleagues, but there was a long held assumption that mavericks were incurable. And yet here you are, presently fighting for the common good and capable of making the decision to befriend X. It's true that many human and reploid lives have been lost because of the maverick wars, but it seems you've indirectly been making up for it by saving lives. You can't change your past, but it seems you're already changing what your future was supposed to be...least, that's all an old man's perspective can offer to settle your nerves.”

Zero can answer some of the questions, but the last one left him dumbstruck. He's realizing for the first time how thickheaded he could be, but it was starting to become clear what the doctor was saying. The hunter relaxed his posture, finding himself laughing oddly enough. There was some hope again, because what the doctor was indirectly saying was that if Zero could be cured, then so could other reploids. It started to dawn on him why the reploids fought so hard, and why their findings on there being a maverick cure was such a huge motivator. 

That would also mean Zero's potential was beyond his creator's scope. His expression went from rage to relief; there was a future with X and their friends waiting for him once they shut down the mavericks for good. He didn't realize how much hearing the doctor's words could make him mentally shut down, grateful that it wasn't something he was told in the middle of a fight. He looks at the doctor, noticing the glint in his eye.

“You ask too many questions.”

“Maybe, but perhaps you should go let X know you aren't angry with him.”

Zero nodded, thanking the old man on his way out. 

He walked down the halls of the research facility, making an educated guess that X wouldn't be too far off since he still had to talk with Dr. Cain. He found him leaning against a railing that oversaw a garden down below. 

Zero can see what his rage from earlier had done to X, feeling guilt flooding his server. Thanks to his revelation with Dr. Cain, however, he also feels a relief that his creator inadvertently gave Zero the capacity to understand how X was feeling so he would know what to do to make it better.

He calls X over to get his attention, the blue android looking at Zero with a bit of uneasiness. He can tell the red android wasn't angry anymore but he was also afraid to do anything that might upset him again.

Zero reached into his memory banks, thinking back to those awful shows Iris and Signas liked to watch about reploids with strong feelings for each other. He put his hands on X's shoulders, realizing for the first time how much of a height difference they had. Most hunters were taller than the both of them, that much he knew, but it didn't really register to the red android that X was short when they were sparring or on the field together. He never thought of X as a lesser fighter or weak, taking his time while looking to see if X was uncomfortable with the physical contact. When he confirmed the other wasn't, he noticed that his own uneasiness went away. X was looking at him with complete trust that made a tightening pressure build in Zero's chest. It's odd how natural it came to him to lean down, kissing X on the skin of his forehead.

Zero rushed to walk to the parking area, hell bent on waiting for the remainder of their trip here on the aircraft before X could acknowledge what the red android just did.

Meanwhile, the blue hunter was left standing there alone feeling lightheaded, his eyes wide in shock. 'That? That couldn't have happened, right?', was the only thought that he could register passing through his mind. True, Zero never really entered his physical space like that unless they were in the middle of a spar or he was giving a reassuring gesture, but this was something completely new. X tried to come up with an explanation, but there was no way to down play the fact that the action was outside of the range of what 'buddies' did to each other. 

X was in a daze for a moment, having a hard time processing his own reaction to the gesture as well. It was strange, there was a buzzing happiness as the scene replayed in his mind, but then he shook his head to remind himself he needed to go speak with the doctor. 

He'd sort through his feelings later, though he felt the contact from synthetic skin touching his forehead in a clear display of affection well after Zero was gone.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hunters' second return to H.Q was filled with nervous energy. 

The first thing they noticed were the reploids filling what they could only assume was the aircraft for their last mission. The 17th unit was helping out with the aid of Repliforce officers, it would the final attack and it seemed all of the elite hunters were present. 

Alia and Signas were also there, they would be online overseeing the whole event. Even if the tasks of the day hadn't happened so fast, X doubted he would have been any less anxious. The aircraft was huge compared to anything else the hunter had ever boarded, he assumed it was chosen primarily because they had a large joint unit of reploids as well as the General's impressive size to accommodate. In those moments where he was standing next to Sigma, it was almost comical how he made someone of impressive stature in his own right like the commander look small by comparison.

As the two story tall Reploid stepped onto the ship, Boomerang Kuwanger and Flame Stag exchanged a nervous glance when General boarded the ship and there was an overly audible creaking of the craft from the weight. They hesitated to walk inside, moving slowly. Suddenly, they were being rushed up the ramp by Colonel. He pushed the two forward while smirking.

“Don't be cowards, we aren't even on enemy territory yet.”

X and Zero smiled at the entire scene, going over to join their teammates.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside of the building, the rest of Hunter H.Q was full of nervous energy over the mission. 

It was supposed to be restricted access for the server used by Alia and Signas to stay connected with Sigma and his men, but Marino appeared in time to hack into one of the lines. Her reasoning was that instead of twiddling their thumbs doing nothing, they could at least know what was going on and be prepared to help if the worst occurred. Nana and Palette liked the idea, nodding at the thief reploid's explanation.

“I hate being on the side lines all the time, but I hope everything goes ok.”

“My entire business model is standing on the side lines, but I can see where you're coming from, kid. We'll be ready if they need us.”

She winked at Palette, the younger reploid smiling.

Blizzard Buffalo was present along with a small group of children that included A-1, Techno, and Middy. Even though the trio of boys had been given promotions, they still made sure to spend time with their friends. They understood why they weren't a part of the action, but it didn't make it any less tempting to snoop. They came when they saw the thief reploid appear, Techno immediately being able to put two and two together. He told his brother and friends they should follow her. Once she had set up connection to the server, it was open access for all of the hunter base. They would cheer for X and the others even if they couldn't hear them.

Iris was sitting at her desk watching their actions; she felt guilty listening in when Alia said this was strictly for authorized personnel only but she couldn't help joining the others. Repliforce had come to help the Maverick Hunters as equals, they shared all of their intel and it was a team effort that had allowed them to make it this far. That was her justification for walking over to see how her friends were handling themselves out in their most dangerous fight.

She tried to be discrete about it, but her cover was blown when Palette yelled at her to come over and join them by the screen so she could hear everything at the best quality. Iris sighed, looking every bit as ashamed as she felt as she walked over to be a part of the crowd surrounding the monitor. 

For now, all they could do was watch in support.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the ship was loaded, the hunters arranged themselves into position while the carrier took off. X was bouncing a leg trying to calm himself, overloaded with extra energy. He looked over at Sigma who simply nodded in confirmation, the hunter admiring how his commander managed to be so calm a figure when there was a big fight about to happen.

He turned his head to glance at Zero, the red android was standing by a window nearby with his arms crossed. He knew the android well enough that he could tell the other was also looking around to fight off the quiet anxiety. Zero turned to meet X's gaze, then smiled at him warmly. X returned the gesture, giving him a thumbs up then looking down at his hands. He would try to compose himself, using the relaxation techniques he learned from Dr. Cain. Even though reploids didn't technically need oxygen, for some reason counting his breaths was a good way to settle his nerves.

Zero went back to staring outside the window of the aircraft, letting his mind wander. The hunter base was already far behind them, it wouldn't take long to arrive. The large aircraft was surprisingly fast, taking them closer to Gate's former research facility.

It was silent on their trip, giving Zero the time to realize the two androids hadn't had a moment to acknowledge his actions back at Dr. Cain's lab. The red hunter was thankful for it, he wasn't entirely sure what he could say to X. It clearly made blue hunter happy, he seemed to perk up and was practically jumping onto the aircraft once they were at the parking structure. A morbid thought passed Zero that it might be easier to accept death than to talk to X about their feelings, causing him to smirk dryly. He noticed X was looking at him again, curious as to what his friend was smiling about but Zero shook his head.

Exhaling, X looked down at the rapidly approaching research center that would no doubt lead to the most difficult fight he's ever faced. He was ready, he punched a closed fist into his other hand. His mind was clear now, focused on the task at hand. Whatever they would face in there, he knew he would be able to handle with his teammates and Zero by his side.


	13. Events Turn Vile

Double stood at the main entrance of the research facility with a unit of mechaniloids. Prior to when Metal Shark Player was killed, he worked carefully to revive the yellow reploid and a few others of their group since they would need the additional forces on their side. 

This was his second chance, it had enraged Double that he failed to kill X and Zero in their previous encounter when he had made great efforts to be careful. He spent so much time around those idiots at the hunter base, pretending to be one of them while assisting with their pointless research. It was such a waste...

He refused to fail this time, he looked over his servers to see if the coordinates of the approaching aircraft had been updated. He sent his mechaniloids into formation in response. 

The traitor of the maverick hunters was grinning wildly while he thought of the best method to separate the team once they arrived. He had planned with Gate for this occasion long before they lost their other reploids, but it made him excited at the opportunity to fight. The odds didn't look promising when dealing with the group directly, but dividing them up then cornering the weaker hunters would give Gate enough time to come up with a plan.

The allies they lost were meaningless in the larger schematics of their goals, all they needed was a bit more time to prepare the launch for the bioweapon. Not that it had that large of an impact on Double, he didn't particular care for reploid independence from humans. 

What he was interested in was getting to destroy things without restraint. He looked up at the sky through a large window in the room, snickering with glee when he saw the aircraft headed their way.

Just a little longer and his patience would be rewarded. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sigma knew there would be an onslaught once they arrived in enemy territory, his men were instructed to jump from the plane ahead of its landing so they could immediately work on fighting their way inside. The vehicle itself was parked some several hundred yards away using a remote system controlled by Alia. Sigma was the last to exit the aircraft, watching with amusement as the reploids on his side were unfazed by the fact that they were outnumbered. It didn't matter because they were elite hunters. They would compensate with their skill.

The hunters were in peak form as they rushed through the army of mechaniloids to get to the entrance. X was running alongside Colonel, Zero, and Spark Mandrill. Mandrill took on a group of Rideloids, ramming through the armored robots with his drill and firing off electric sparks. It allowed the other hunters to sprint across the field through the explosion of metal the mandril reploid cause, Colonel and Zero working together to slash through guard robots still standing. 

There was a ship above that was releasing Road Attackers, Boomerang Kuwanger and Gravity Beetle used the strength of their horns to lift the vehicles and toss them aside so they were vulnerable to direct attacks. Raidens directed by General were sent to finish them off, assisting the hunters on their side of the battle field. 

Flame Stag and Mac had been fighting a large lion mechaniloid that was roughly the size of a tank, but they were having difficulty landing a solid shot that was effective against its armor. The mechaniloid let out a roar, sweeping one of its claws and throwing Stag aside. Mac was in shock, gasping at how easily his teammate was taken down. He tried to react in time to avoid the next attack but he knew he wasn't fast enough. His mind tried to prep itself for the impact that would come, but he heard a large explosion from behind and a broken roar from the robot. His head snapped in the direction of the source, smiling at Vile hovering from above the remains of the robot. 

The purple hunter was laughing, throwing an extra bomb for good measure on the remains of the mechaniloid. He landed back on the ground, not taking the time stop to acknowledge if his teammates were alright. Vile was already rushing off to destroy more of the army, having an enjoyable experience in the midst of the destruction. 

Time seemed to pass in a rush of movements, a path was laid out for some of the hunters to get to the entrance of Gate's research facility from their efforts to push back the army. X and Zero were among them, running alongside Sigma. The trio dashed through the large doors of the facility, breaking down the locked entrance. Sigma let out a booming laugh, he was covered in debris and mechaniloid fluids but he felt a rush going through his system that was comparable to human adrenaline. 

X sighed, it had been rough keeping up with his teammates but he was glad for all the upgrades he had acquired leading up to this mission. If he were still at the same level as his B Ranked days, he doubted he'd be at Sigma's side and not far off somewhere firing at robots to stay alive. The rampant chaos from the fight had his chest tightening in anxiety, but he felt proud of himself for handling it enough to help his team. He looked over in reassurance that he was fine to Zero and Sigma. Sigma nodded at him while Zero sent him a smile. 

They would wait for the rest of their unit to catch up before making any sudden movements. Zero took an experimental step toward the center of the room to get a better view of the surrounding area, but right after a gate popped out from the broken entrance to trap the hunters inside. The next events happened so quickly that none of the members in their trio could see it coming, a trapped door opened below them in separate parts of the floor. X and Zero released surprised yells, Sigma grunting while he quickly pulled out his sword to jam it into the wall of the hole he was falling in. 

He slid for a few moments, almost making the commander worry that he would keep falling. Eventually he stopped, he was close enough to reach up to pull his body out of the trapdoor. It was a relief his mind was sharp enough to react in time, but the feeling didn't last when he figured he was the only one left in the main entrance room.

The commander looked around even though he knew X and Zero wouldn't have had the reflexes to save themselves. He glanced at the respective holes, making a 'tsk' sound at the situation. This wasn't good, there was a jammer in the area so once they entered inside they wouldn't be able to locate each other. 

Scanning the region, he would attempt to find a way to deactivate the source of the jamming signal to prevent the situation from getting worse. Those two could take care of themselves, but time was essential if he wanted to avoid losing any of his unit. Sigma ran down the hallway, destroying the guard mechaniloids that appeared in his path. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the connection to the commander and X went out, the hunter base filled with fear. The primary monitor was still streaming from the hunters that weren't inside the facility yet, but there were blank spots in between that had Marino frowning. Iris had looked away when she saw the reploids falling down the trap, it was their last moment before the connection broke. Blizzard Buffalo had arms around the children, gently guiding them outside while he tried to explain that just because they couldn't see X didn't mean he was finished yet. 

A-1 and Middy stayed where they were, standing beside Iris, Nana and Pallette. Techno had also stayed, he put a hand on Iris's shoulder to get her attention.

“Let's keep watching, we can't give up on them now. X and Zero have the commander, after all.”

She slowly lowered the hands that had been on her face, looking at the ground. 

“You're right...I wonder if there's anything we can do so they know they're not alone...I'm worried.”

“It's not time to worry yet. They haven't even gotten to the exciting part yet.”

At that sound of her voice, all attention was placed on the thief reploid.

Marino was still completely composed, she knew the androids could handle themselves even with the revival of some of the mavericks they faced. She’d sent the information to Alia right away so the operator could let Sigma know how to deal with it. It had all happened so fast, Marino rushing over when she learned Gate’s bioweapon was practically complete. They had been forced to act quickly before the scientist could set it off, that was part of the reason they tried to make the best of the situation by coming up with the strategy on the spot. The commander had been briefed when they were setting up the plan, but it was of slight concern that X or Zero would potentially have to fight alone. 

She was wondering to herself if there was a way to remotely disable Gate's jammer. She looked around at the reploids, frowning in thought.

“I wonder...Alia's probably busy by herself trying to restore connection with the commander. You worked with her, right? Let's see if we can lend a hand.”

Techno and Middy perked up at that, understanding her meaning when she nodded in the direction of the computers they had available. They ran to their posts, Iris watching. If she joined them, then she would be going against her superiors orders. But if she didn't, then her friends would be in danger and she hadn't done everything she could to help. While watching Palette and Nana also getting their desks ready, Iris thought back to when X went against Alia's orders all those months ago. She remembered that if he hadn't made his own judgment in that moment then neither of them would have been able to befriend Zero. 

She walked with purpose to her own desk, testing the connection to see if there was a way to locate the hunters. Unsurprisingly, the interference was strong but she could tell at the very least they had fallen inside of the research facility. Iris would do her part to try and gather as much information as she could, hopefully there would be something useful for them.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X turned his body to land on his feet, trying to lessen the impact. He wasn't a heavy weight by any means, but his speed and weight in combination had him accelerating at a dangerous rate as he approached the ground. The hunter felt the floor take damage from his collision; he landed in a crouch. X checked his connection in the hopes he could find signs of the commander and Zero, making a frustrated sound when he realized he was on his own. Standing up while moving his head in different directions, it was hard not to be intimidated by the number of paths he could take.

He had only been to this facility a few times, back when he was still new to the world and followed Dr. Cain at the hip. Back then, it seemed less daunting when it was filled with scientist reploids. They were friendly, asking him questions about what he could remember when he was first activated and what he knew about Dr. Light. His creator was of special interest since he was the first person to create the basis for their society. X tried to answer, but saw the disappointment when they realized how little the android knew of himself. Dr. Cain reassured him that they would learn more eventually, his hopes at the time were if they could understand Dr. Light's work then it would help them with the maverick threat.

X felt some shame for his naivety in those days. He didn't want anything to do with the hunters, which was why he was eager to be brought over to the research oriented side of things. It was avoidance on his point, he was aware of what they did but intimidated by the prospect of robots designated specifically for violence. He didn't get to meet Gate or Alia back then, but he recalled that first meeting with Commander Sigma. It was hard not to know how important he was, all the reploids seemed to drop everything they were doing to stand at respectful attention. Sigma dismissed them, walking through the path set aside so he could stand in front of the 'father' of all reploids. 

X didn't feel much like a father to anyone, especially when the designs of reploids were so diverse. There were those based off of animals, the ones with different genders and facial structures, then there was Sigma himself. He towered over X, looking down but not in a threatening manner. It felt tense, but all of X's nerves were eased when the commander slapped a large hand on his back telling him to lighten up. He was among allies here, there was no reason to doubt that he was welcome anywhere that was being oversaw by the government. At that, X looked at him puzzled.

'I'm saying you should come over and meet my hunters once you're done here.'

'E-excuse me?'

'I'll be waiting, X. I know you said you didn't like to fight, but there must have been a good reason your creator gave you a weapon. I'll leave it to you to make a decision.'

He watched the reploid that would soon after become his commander walk out of the room. His presence somehow felt larger than his actual stature, X felt the urge to stand perfectly upright even after he was gone. It was only two visits to the Hunter Base after that incident, then X became a hunter. The kindness the reploids had shown him, the sense of belonging he got shortly after being awakened in such a vulnerable state of confusion, and the determination of the hunters he met inspired him to take action. There was a home for him here and he would fight to defend the people he cared for.

Dr. Cain had offered the type of warmth and kindness the android would grow accustomed to receiving from good humans. He never treated X with any awkwardness, being the only person to use his full name of 'Mega Man X' when he was serious or in some cases playful. The casualness of Sigma's demeanor when there wasn't an active threat was his first introduction to friendship with his own kind. X realized he was more or less a bridge to that gap, fascinated watching how the doctor would interact with his prized creation. There was a longing in those moments, X wished he could have seen how his creator would feel with his own progress. The closest he had to Dr. Cain's pride in Sigma's accomplishments were the sad eyed expressions on the elderly man inside his upgrade capsules. 

Thinking back on it, he hadn't felt that longing for some time now. His visits with Dr. Cain were the same, Sigma hadn't changed much either. The only ripple in his life since activation had been Zero's presence. X walked forward, forcing himself to make a decision so he could make progress in finding his cherished friend. 

He needed to find him. Sigma wasn't invincible but X couldn’t see the possibility that he would fall in combat, Zero on the other hand made him worried. In a standard one on one battle with a maverick he had the advantage, but if he were ambushed or there was a large enough group it could turn ugly. They may have destroyed the reploid responsible for reviving mavericks, but X knew there might be more than just Double and Gate lurking around. 

Despite the confusion he was feeling, his feet were moving without much thought put into what path he should take. He scanned the region, grateful at least that he could do that much even though he couldn't contact anyone. His eyes narrowed when he noticed a reploid down the northwest hallway, knowing exactly what was waiting for him. He sprinted, frustrated because he was already worried about the eventual fight with Double and now this had to happen.

Somehow in the midst of the chaotic battle outside, it seemed Vile had found another entrance and was currently standing in the center of the room, the red lights of his eyes shining through his helmet. 

He wouldn't have been surprised if the reploid was betraying them, but that didn't make it any less infuriating for him. The android tried not to let his anger get to his head, though it was hard when he was getting the suspicion the purple hunter was almost amused at his emotional reaction. X didn't say anything, letting the other hunter speak first while watching him icily. 

“I want you to prove something to me...I'll test your abilities here and now. If you can't face me, then you won't stand a chance against Gate or Double.”

X gripped his hands into fists, he didn't think he was capable of hatred since his creator was a peaceful man but in that moment he really almost thought he could. Feelings rushed through him at a rapid pace. Outrage was the primary one, namely over how many times Sigma bailed Vile out of his messes yet the reploid seemed to have no loyalty to anyone.

“This is a waste of time, Vile! I don't want to fight you! The commander and Zero need our help!”

His words were enough to get the reploid to move from his position, taking his time to walk closer to the android. 

“I hate that about you...spineless as ever. I don't care what you want or what Sigma would do if I destroy you, I won't let you move forward until you pick up your weapons!”

X released a frustrated sound, somehow this reploid got under his skin more than any other. He really was no different than a maverick.

“Why are you doing this? If you want to betray the maverick hunters, fine! But why cover it up with a poor excuse like that?”

“Because everyone loves to rave about how special you are. It makes me sick...a coward like you being the 'hope' for all reploids? I can't stand it! I don't care about what Gate's plans are or saving humans like Sigma does, what matters is power. If you can't overpower your enemies, then you can't change the world. The stronger force will eventually get their way, and right now I need to know what makes your potential so important to everyone.”

Vile finished his statement by aiming his arm cannon to launch the first attack. X dodged it, pulling out his buster in retaliation.

There wasn't much time after that to think, X meeting Vile's attacks with blasts of his own. The purple hunter had a heavy arsenal, using a flamethrower as well as making good use of the new arm weapon. X was surprised by it, studying the pattern of his enemy and noting how his arm cannon worked similar to the busters used by himself and Zero. The blasts made a loose ray of dna strands in an eerie pink light. He realized that it must have been loosely based off of Zero's Z buster, the blasts absorbing his charged shots caused X to make the connection. 

It was odd, he never would've guessed Vile was inspired by Zero of all people. It seemed he didn't hold a grudge against him, but still more or less hated X as much as he did before. X mixed in dashing around and firing shots of his own, realizing that Vile had a similar fighting pattern to Zero. Not a perfect similarity, but they did share a warrior's spirit. They made up for what they lacked in brute strength and size by using strategy, one of Vile's limitations being covered by his modifications so he could carry three weapons at a time. 

That might have been why he created such a large variety to swap in for different scenarios, in this case it seemed he had taken note that Zero's buster could neutralize X's and created his own version for this battle. It was creepy to think how long Vile had been preparing for this fight, X brushing it aside by reminding himself that the other hunter had always hated him personally, so it was possible he had been creating this before defecting. 

Technically, he wasn't defecting completely. More so getting in X's way, but not doing it to benefit Gate or betraying the hunters directly. X didn't understand the reploid's reasoning entirely, but it didn't matter right now. He needed to find a strategy to beat him, focusing on dodging his attacks more than countering while he studied his movements.

X would make a theory, hoping his practice with Zero would prove useful so he could corner the purple reploid. It was a gamble, but he endured the fight until he found an opening. X was able to catch Vile mid jump and fired a charged shot directly at the hunter's face before he could raise his arm cannon. Vile was sent flying backwards, colliding into a wall. The impact left a crater with cracks that ran up to the ceiling, the reploid falling to a slump on the ground. 

He sat there for a moment, X walking over to stare down the other hunter. He still had a hand on his buster in case the other tried anything, but it seemed he was done fighting. Strangely enough, Vile started to laugh. 

“You're so naive... I don't understand why so many stronger reploids bother allying themselves with you.”

X was silent, letting him continue. He never would have expected the other hunter's next actions, his face contorting in confusion while he watched Vile disconnect his arm cannon. He held it up towards the android.

“Here...take it.”

“W-what?”

“If I wanted to fire a cheap shot, I could've done it by now. You've gotten stronger, I'll admit that much but you're still disgustingly weak. Take this, you'll need it if you want to get out of here alive.”

X looked back and forth between the arm cannon in Vile's hand and at his face. It wasn't helpful that the other was always covered by his helmet so there was no way to read his expressions. The blue android looked unsure as he voiced his concern.

“But what about you?”

The confusion on X's face was irritating Vile, almost making him fire from the cannon on his back. He wasn't planning on joining Gate, but when the offer had been made it interested him to test out his new weapon on X. He wouldn't admit that he felt annoyed by how X was the only one Zero would ever train with. The times he passed by the halls of the training centers to glance at their battles left him frustrated at how many opportunities to wipe the floor with the blue android that Zero ignored in favor of teaching him fighting techniques. 

Why there were hunters that would hold X's hand so much was beyond Vile's reasoning, but it didn't matter right now. The android had gotten strong enough to ignite a small amount of respect that was making the purple hunter feel uncharacteristically generous. 

“Don't insult me with your pity. The scrap metal in here doesn't stand a chance against me in a fair fight; might as well make it interesting. Besides... Unlike you, I'm always prepared. I have spare energy tanks, so stop crying. Next time we fight, I won't be so careless. Watch your back....X”

X finally relented and accepted the arm cannon, amazed it was compatible. It fit right over his X buster, connecting and upgrading his firing power instantly. He glanced down one last time at Vile.

“Thank you.”

“Don't mention it...ever”

X nodded before rushing out of the room. The purple hunter watched him leave, letting himself rest for a moment. He knew the location of the other mavericks because he had stolen some of Gate's information about his jammer. He might as well put it in some team effort this time and take them down so the idiots could go play hero. 

Vile jumped up, downing one of his energy tanks then crushing the can in his hand. This could be fun....he'd enjoy killing people to blow off the steam caused by losing in a fight to X for the first time. He always had his default arm weapon stored away in the storage container on his back, locking his Cherry Blast into place. If there ever were a perfect time to beat people up for the hell of it, it was now. 

Laughing maniacally, he ran down the hallway launching bombs and firing his cannons at random, uncaring at the security alarms that were blaring around him in response. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X ran ahead, it wasn't a long path to follow that led him to Double. They stared each other down for a bit, Double chuckling.

“I guess Vile was useless after all. He's still more respectable than you, at least he fights his own battles. You hid behind Sigma's shadow, then latched onto Zero once his strength was being exploited by the Maverick Hunters. It's shameful, really...can't fight with your own strength, can you? Have to rely on weak notions like fighting for the sake of others. I'm going to enjoy cutting you to pieces.”

X didn't respond to him, he'd been charging his buster throughout the one-sided conversation. His system was ready for battle and the two robots began by sprinting across the room. 

When they collided, X pushed back with his buster against Double's arm blade to get some distance. He had to maneuver his arm into an odd angle to avoid being cut off. X fired a shot to force the larger reploid to jerk backwards, though it sent chills down his spine when the other kept smirking and chuckling the entire time. 

It was difficult keeping a safe distance, X frustrated that even with the added strength to his firing capabilities it was still hard to get a solid hit on the maverick. He'd remember down the line that Vile had been right, his regular shots and copy abilities wouldn't have been effective against the maverick. Double jumped across the walls, leaping downward while swinging his blade. X managed to narrowly avoid the blade itself, but he was damaged from being thrown across the room. 

This wasn't looking good, he was starting to get the hang of how the rabid maverick would attack but he was still taking damage. Double was much stronger than he had been before, and even then X had a difficulty fighting him. He tried to drive down the panic he was feeling by reminding himself he wasn't the same as before either. There had to be something he could do.

Somewhere, as if responding to his desperation, deep within his programming the android realized Dr. Light was sending him instructions. It was telling X that he had been equipped with a final weapon that would activate once he upgraded all the parts of his body. Ironically, Vile had given him the last that he needed to activate the mechanism locked away. X focused on harnessing the power inside his system, then unleashed a Nova Strike for the first time. There was a large blast that Double couldn't avoid, he screamed while his body fell apart from the impact.

X stared at the remains of the maverick, it was hard to believe he managed to get through that. He'd remember to mention this to Dr. Cain, it seemed the mystery of Dr. Light's programming was getting more complicated as X became stronger. 

He wouldn't dwell on it for long, scanning his surroundings for interference. He realized with a pleasant shock that there was someone able to connect to his communicator. He smiled at the familiar voice of Iris greeting him.

“X! We're all rooting for you down here, I'm glad you're safe! I can't wait to see Zero's face when you tell him how you handled all the action without his help.”

X blushed a bit at that, before snapping out of it. He was serious again, looking around uneasily.

“Iris, do you have the locations for Sigma and Zero yet?” 

“I'm sorry, we're still working on it. It shouldn't take me long, though. Techno and Middy are helping me o--”

Iris was cut off by the stern voice of Alia. 

“It seems everyone is taking part in this mission despite direct orders not to. It seems your recklessness is contagious, X.” 

X couldn't fight down the small laugh that was released when he heard the irritation behind her words. He remembered what Alia was referring to, but he knew her well enough to tell when she was giving them a hard time from a good place. He was grateful to hear her laughing lightly once she was finished voicing her annoyance.

“I'm glad you're safe, you did great on your own. I'm thankful my team members are capable and independent, Iris will be overseeing the navigation while I work on disabling the jammer. Thank you, all of you.”

“Alia?”

“Don't worry about the commander, he already met up with the General and Colonel. I can send you their location so you can meet up with them.”

X nodded, grateful when he was sent a map of the facility with the commander's coordinates.

“Alia? If it's alright, I'd like to look around first for Zero before meeting with Commander Sigma.”

“I'm not sure why you're asking, I trust you to make the right decision. Never change X, go do what you think is best. And good luck out there!”

“Thank you, Alia!”

He disconnected himself, running down one of the hallways in the hopes it would bring him closer to his friend. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gate was almost at the point of losing his composure and giving into the panic built up when he saw that Double had been destroyed. X had grown stronger than he could predict, it was looking bleak when there were rapidly diminishing resources for him to defend with. He rushed through his notes to try and come up with a last ditch effort. There had to be some weakness he could exploit before all of the hunters could tear down his door. 

As he went over old data entries, he recalled one about Zero that had him pause for a moment. He thought to himself that perhaps he wouldn’t need to fight the maverick hunters himself after all. If he could reactivate the virus in Zero, then the red android in his maverick state could potentially be capable of destroying everyone. At the very least, he could take down Sigma and X, which could buy the scientist time to make his escape and regroup.

He would lay out the trap, already quick at work looking for more information relating to Zero’s programming. It would be tricky, he might have to risk fighting Zero alone for a brief period. If he could survive long enough…

There might still be a chance for his plans to destroy humanity and create his new world for reploids.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commander Sigma was running down a hallway, trying to locate all of his unit with General and Colonel by his side. All of their teammates were inside at this point, Alia had been able to make a solid enough connection through Gate's jammer thanks to the joint effort of their reploids at H.Q.

The trio of powerful reploids had no issue taking down the mechaniloids that kept appearing. Someone had triggered the alarm, causing the place to swarm with guard robots. A unit of them had appeared in a large room consisting of CF-0's and a Maoh Giant at the center.

General and Colonel dashed to meet their attacks, General firing his missiles. He was approximately the same size as a Maoh, so Colonel let him handle that mechaniloid on his own. Colonel focused his efforts on slashing through the other mechaniloids alongside Sigma, the swordsman robots working well together. 

Sigma slows down when he picks up a familiar signal. It’s Vile, it looks like something or someone had gotten to him since his connection was weaker than the other hunters. He stopped completely, one of his unit members needed him.

“Colonel, General! I need to go take care of one of my men.”

General tossed the Maoh aside with ease, taking a moment to respond to Sigma.

“We're fine on our end. Take care Commander, we'll regroup later.”

Sigma nodded, then sprinted out of the room towards the purple reploid's location.

He moved quickly to what looked like the remnants of a large fight. Vile was laying on the floor in critical condition, laughing when he saw Sigma walk over to him. The commander glanced over to the almost unrecognizable remains of Launch Octopus, Sting Chameleon, and Magma Dragoon. The idiot took all three of the revived and no doubt upgraded mavericks on his own…

“Well I hope you’re proud of yourself...those mavericks look worse than you.”

Vile coughed, trying to respond. Sigma looked grimly at him.

“Don't force yourself to speak, you should conserve your energy.” 

“Ya know….I can't stand you sometimes. It pisses me off, watching how you both parade around like you’re heroes. But I like the way you do business….”

“What are you trying to say, Vile?”

“I don’t know….I’ll stick by your side a little longer, until it stops being fun.”

Vile laughed again, sounding every bit like a maverick. Sigma could only stare while waiting for him to tire himself out. The commander lifted the maverick hunter off the ground once he was unconscious, he had an idea of what Vile was trying to say and it made him chuckle softly.


	14. Last Ditch Effort

X ran through the hallway, his pace increasing when he saw the familiar red figure of his friend at a junction point ahead. Zero turned his face to look at the android, smiling as he ran over to meet with him. They raised their arms to wrap them together, Zero noticing the new adjustment on X's buster. He whistled at it when they parted from the gesture, impressed at the android's final upgrade.

“You sure took your time, X. I like the new buster, find one of those capsules in here?”

“Well, not exactly. I'll tell you later, but I don't know if you would ever believe it.”

Zero looked at him in confusion, deciding not to question it further. 

Before meeting up with the hunter, Zero had been getting increasingly annoyed at the swarms of mechaniloids and spiked walls he had to fight through as a reaction to the facility's security measures.

Running through the large facility alone had tested his patience, though he was grateful when Nana connected to his server to let him know the source of the jamming signal was almost completely disabled. Iris had alerted him that X was on his way so he should stay on his current path, the red android feeling relieved that the other hunter was alright. He would have never forgiven himself if X had been ambushed alone and destroyed. 

They ran down the corridors in the hopes of either meeting more hunters or finding Gate. There was no time to react to the barrier that lifted from the ground to separate X and Zero.

“X! Damn it, where are all these traps coming from?!”

“Zero!”

X banged a fist against the wall, cursing when he couldn't break through even after firing a shot from his buster. Zero had tried as well, using both his saber and his buster to try and make a dent. Nothing was working, they looked at each other uneasily. And they were just reunited...

“Zero! Stay where you are! I'll look around to find another entrance to your location.” 

Zero listened without putting up a fight, thinking it would be pointless to move from where he was in case another trap set off. Better to wait and let X come to him first.

When he turned away from the barrier, he could hear X’s departing footsteps. He closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. He took a few steps forward, twisting around in shock when he realized another presence had just teleported behind him. 

He recognized the reploid, it was that purple scientist from back when Zero woke up the second time. Gate…

Zero smirked, cockily taking his fighting stance while aiming his saber at the reploid.

“Well this saves me the trouble of hunting you down.” 

“Congratulations are in order for you hunters making it this far, I'm impressed with your capabilities all over again. It seems time spent with Sigma has been beneficial, you've made great progress with using your upgrades.”

“If you came to me hoping for a thank you, you're about to be very disappointed.”

Gate laughed at his hostility,

“No, I'd like more than that from you, Zero. I wanted to experience your power firsthand.” 

Gate dodged a charged shot Zero fired, transforming into his golden combat armor. He was faster in this mode and capable of predicting some of Zero's movements, allowing him to avoid some of Zero’s attacks. It wasn't enough to do any real damage to the red android, but it would be enough to buy him some time while he studied the other robot in action. As they fought, Zero slashed across Gate's armor in a particularly brutal hit. 

For Zero, it felt one sided. The reploid scientist had a range of annoying weapons, but it took the red hunter a matter of minutes to recognize his pattern. Gate wasn't modeled to be a combat robot, though some of his attacks managed to graze past the maverick hunter. The scientist’s modifications could only go so far, Zero managed to hit him with blasts from his buster when Gate tried to get some leverage from a distance. 

The reploid knew he wouldn't be able to defeat Zero but that wasn't his goal. The damage he was taking was piling on, but he was grateful his upgrades were holding him together long enough to where he saw the opening he was hoping for in Zero's attack strategy. Allowing himself to be hit with the other's saber once he went back into his personal space, Gate used the opportunity to connect a USB drive into a port in the back of Zero’s head located just below his helmet and hair.

Zero threw him aside and quickly pulled the device out from his neck. He didn't understand what the point was, not feeling the effects at first. He figured he avoided the worst of it, running up with his saber poised to finish Gate off.

Right as he pulled his arm back for the finishing blow, there was a blinding pain shooting from the back of his port across his forehead. Zero tripped then stumbled forward, yelling as he clutched his head between his hands. His saber fell, Zero dropping to his knees as he tried to stop the pain that seemed to be spreading across his mind. Gate was cackling, it had worked. The red android glared up at him, his anger being the only distraction from the waves of the virus affecting his body.

“W-what the hell did you do?!”

Zero couldn't hear Gate's response, his mind was starting to cloud over from the overwhelming surges in his programming. His yelling stopped for a moment, he was panting now from the effort of it all. He was struggling to keep his mind clear, falling to his hands and knees while clawing at the ground. He started to scream again when the ripples seemed to return in stronger pulses. 

“You shouldn’t fight so hard, you know. It would be much easier just to give in.”

Gate laughed at the end of his sentence, watching in entertainment as the android could only look up at him while in visible pain. Zero wanted nothing more than to rip his arm through the scientist's chest, but he was afraid if he moved he would lose himself completely. He tried to focus on his senses, maintain his presence in the moment so he wouldn’t lose consciousness. The hunter refused to let his friend find him in a maverick state, he would never be able to forgive himself if he hurt X. 

Ripples of pain continued to throb through his head, now traveling throughout his body, causing him to scream when a particularly strong surge of the program ran through his entire system. He repositioned himself to grip his head, tearing off his helmet in the hopes that relieving some pressure would ease his turmoil. It didn’t work, his hands holding his head as he fell completely on the ground. He struggled not to pass out, his last thought was that he hoped when he woke up he would still be himself. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alia and the operators were looking over their monitors to try and get a reading on Zero. His connection was broken off when Gate inserted the USB in his head, leaving them to only speculate what happened after. Worry spread quickly among the operators, Iris being the first to vocalize her concern.

“Alia, will Zero be ok?”

The head of operations had a hand to her temple, unsure how to respond to the younger reploid. It didn’t look good, she knew how effective Gate’s reprogramming could be when combined with the maverick virus. 

“I don't know, I doubt Gate would have been able to defeat him in a standard fight. I have a suspicion of what he was trying to do, but we can't say for certain until we get a reading on his status.”

Alia was trying to fight down the panic at the thought of Zero being infected with the maverick virus again. She connected herself to Commander Sigma in the hopes of hearing something helpful.

“Commander, are you close to meeting up with X and Zero?”

“Not yet, I was sidetracked. I've found the rest of our unit in the meantime.”

Sigma had been occupied with rounding up all of the other members of the 17th unit, finding them in a wide range of physical states. Vile hadn't been the only reploid that was in critical condition, Mac and Spark Mandrill were being carried by Gravity Beetle and Boomerang Kuwanger. Flame Stag was holding Vile on his back, they had flipped a coin for who would have to deal with him if he woke up and the deer reploid was looking mildly annoyed from having lost. 

Alia spoke into the server again, voicing her concerns to Sigma and the others.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Gate had been working on a bioweapon to spread the maverick virus all over. If he injected that into Zero's programming...”

“We have enough of our unit to take him down if the need arises--”

“You can't--!!”

Iris interjected the conversation, going against her usually quiet nature. Sigma and Alia froze, shocked by the outburst. At the hunter base, the reploids were looking at her. She looked down at her hands before closing her eyes.

“You can't destroy Zero...he's our friend...X won't let that happen!”

Sigma folded his arms over his chest, trying to not to sound impatient when he responded. 

“X's hesitation to destroy a threat could endanger everyone. You're young so you weren't there when Zero was first activated, but he destroyed entire units of reploids.”

“But there has to be some other way! You didn’t destroy him when he was a maverick before, how did you stop him last time?”

Sigma smirked at the outburst. He never knew the soft spoken navigator from Repliforce would have as much as a spine as her brother, the effects from working with X and Zero must have had a helping hand in her maturity. 

“Alright, we'll try to come up with a solution. In the meantime, try to reconnect with Zero to see if he hasn't turned maverick. It'll be a miracle but I want confirmation before we make a plan.”

“Yes sir, thank you.”

Sigma chuckled, closing off his connection. He looked over at his unit and the Repliforce soldiers, his soldiers looking at him in disbelief for not yelling at the navigator's insubordination. Colonel was smiling with pride.

“I've never heard her speak like that before. I'm as shocked as you are, Commander Sigma.”

“You're lucky I'm in a good mood. We haven't had any casualties yet, but the second I hear a reploid has been killed I'm doing this my way.”

“Of course, commander...”

He was laughing softly, the group of hunters making their way down the hallways to locate Gate and Zero. 

When they reached another junction, Vile was semi-conscious and tried to pull his body away from Flame Stag. Sigma told the deer reploid to let him go so he could try to stand on his own, though when he started to stumble forward Stag interjected himself. Swallowing his pride, Vile let the other hold him upright.

“Sigma....the weapon is nearby...I have the password on this, I stole it from the mavericks before they could delete everything. We need to disable it or it'll set off without Gate.”

“So that's what you were after. Alright, conserve your strength for now. I'll take care of it from here.”

Sigma grabbed the flash drive Vile had pulled out from his chest plate, the purple reploid falling into a forced standby from the stress of talking to the commander. Stag placed him over his back once again, grateful that the ill tempered maverick hunter hadn't tried to pick a fight with him. 

The commander ran down the hallway without waiting for his unit to catch up, he needed to disarm the bioweapon now or they might not be able to later. He had a sinking feeling that Gate had set it to go off even if he were to fall in combat. The map Alia was able to pull up of the area was enough to take him to the room containing the device, it looked similar to an energy chamber. In the center of it all was a bomb like device. He scanned it, noting that it was the correct bioweapon since it was filled with the maverick virus. He looked in fear at his approaching unit.

“Everyone, stay back! If this goes off and you get caught in the blast, you'll be a maverick in seconds!”

At his words, all of the reploids froze. Most of them backed away, afraid of how contagious the device potentially could be even before it blew up.

Sigma had a stern expression, it would be tricky handling this. He didn't have the protective gear that scientists were required to wear when dealing with a direct contact of the maverick virus, so he had to be careful. He walked over to one of the computers, sitting at the desk and immediately began typing. While looking at the screen, Sigma connected himself to Alia and Signas. He asked if Alia could grant him access to the device so he could input the deactivation password. 

“Yes sir, just give me one second...got it, you should be able to use their computer now.”

“Good work, Alia.”

The commander didn't focus on anything else until he heard the device deactivate, releasing a deep held breath. They would need to be careful to destroy the bioweapon later on, most likely an entirely human group sent from the government would be the only ones who could handle the task.

Running back to rejoin his team, Sigma scanned the region for X's location. That was the largest threat accounted for, he would hope the hunter could handle himself until the commander could reach his location. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

X sprinted down the hallway, glaring at the golden reploid standing over Zero. When he was closer, he was able to see clearly that the red hunter was curled into a ball on the floor. He wasn’t moving, X was terrified the worst had happened but the dismissive laugh Gate made as his expression snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, he’s not dead. In fact, if you give it a little time he’ll be stronger than ever.”

“What have you done to him?!”

“Nothing really, I was trying to free him. He was never meant to be a weapon for the maverick hunters to exploit…”

“And being a maverick would be better?!”

“He would have been repressed by the government. A reploid with potential, you also could be free from those ties--”

“I’ve had enough!”

X shot from his buster, Gate dodging the attack easily. The golden reploid laughed while X fired rapidly at him, only able to graze him with his shots a few times. He knew the android’s attack patterns well enough to hold his own for the time being, he would just need to stall in time for Zero to awake and finish the job for him. He figured he could have some fun tormenting the android while they were waiting.

“Did you ever ask if it was fair for him? You never thought that maybe he was happier when he was in his awakened state? He had a purpose back then, and it was to destroy you. All of his torment was because of your precursor and you as a byproduct. It seems Zero’s life would have been much better if he had never met you…”

“That’s not true! It...it can’t be true…”

X found himself hesitating, looking over at his friend. Zero looked so helpless in this state, bordering on fragile. X thought back to their time spent at the hunter, how the red hunter was being accepted slowly but surely. If he didn’t want to be with them, he wouldn’t have stayed so long. He chose to become his friend, a decision he made once his mind had cleared from his maverick state. 

The blue android wouldn’t fall for the trick the maverick was trying to pull by making him doubt Zero. He knew his friend, maybe not everything about him or his past but enough to know that his feelings were genuine. He liked being with the reploids and X. 

When Gate tried to corner X by summoning his traps, the hunter dashed around him to avoid it. He wasn’t fast enough, spheres of energy surging around him. X fired at the ones in front him to get some leverage, but he was attacked from behind. He yelled in frustration more than from the pain, Gate exploiting the opening by slashing at the hunter. X could feel his armor cracking from the impact, he fired a shot from his buster to get the scientist away from him. 

They exchanged blows, X realizing he couldn’t completely avoid the energy spheres Gate kept sending out. It didn’t help matters that Gate seemed to follow his movements, most likely from having studied the android so extensively. The hunter tried to come up with some sort of strategy, finding it difficult to keep his mind clear when he was also worried about Zero taking damage from their cross fires. During an especially stressful encounter with Gate’s slashing attack, X realized the other had taken damage at some point. 

His golden armor had jagged slashes in different areas, X smiling when he realized that was from Zero. He wouldn’t let his friend’s effort go to waste, the hunter preparing himself to release a nova strike once he could find the right moment. 

It took a while, X enduring the damage from Gate’s attacks while he moved around to avoid anything that would destroy him completely. He was getting better at countering the scientist’s slashing attack, managing to fire off his buster and get in some shots in between the collisions. Gate wasn’t smirking anymore, something that made the hunter feel much better about their battle. 

Gate was getting progressively more annoyed at the hunter’s persistence. It didn’t help matters that his own hardware wouldn’t last much longer if he kept fighting, Zero should have turned maverick by now. It was past his usual calculations of how long it took for the virus to take effect, worrying him that he would have to keep fighting X on his own. He fought down the panic that tried to cloud his judgement when a charged shot fired dangerously close to his torso, grazing the armor. 

He kept his face expressionless, not wanting to give away his plan and let Gate come up with counter measures. Instead, once the opening came in Gate’s defenses, X dashed in with the hopes this would be enough to finish off the maverick.

The scientist was able to predict his movements at the last second, skidding around X then rushing over to see what was taking Zero so long to wake up. The red android’s eyes were glazed over, he had his legs and arms curled up against his chest from when he was writhing in pain. Somewhere along the line he had lost the energy to keep screaming and was in a state of semi-consciousness. When he realized he was being watched, his eyes refocused to look up at Gate. Fear emerged on his face when he saw X was here, ashamed that he was probably the cause for his friend looking at him with worry.

“What is taking you so long? Get up and destroy him, now!”

The words caused a memory to stir in Zero’s mind, an old man was yelling at him to get up and fight a small blue robot. The red android was hesitating, for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to fire at what didn’t look like a threat. He couldn’t see any faces, the robot seemed to have paused as well since he wasn’t attacking Zero either. 

The old man became upset at the impasse, screaming something that the red android couldn’t make out. Zero was lowered on his knees at some point, shaking slightly and ashamed of himself for the struggle happening inside his mind. He had to follow orders but he didn’t want to destroy the boy. In his vulnerable state he was unable to avoid the old man stabbing something into the back of his neck, saying Zero wouldn’t be useless for long. 

The memory was seconds in length, but felt longer for the android. Once it was finished, it led to the pain from the virus in his programming to restart. Zero screamed, he could only weakly move his limbs hoping something would stop the pain. It felt like his head was trying to rip itself open at the seams of the hardware, something was preventing the virus from merging with his programming. What exactly, the red android had no idea, but he almost wished he would just die instead of having to endure the process.

Zero passed out again, unable to handle the war being raged inside his system. X’s eyes widened, horrified. He pushed Gate aside with all the force in his body, unleashing his nova strike in that moment.

“Stay away from him!”

Gate yelled in response, he wasn’t expecting X to have had such a powerful attack and was then unable to predict its movements. The impact knocked him over, destroying most of his body in the process. X was heaving, he waited with his arm raised to fire in case Gate was still capable of fighting. When he saw the remains of the scientist land on the ground a great deal of distance away from the hunters, he relaxed.

X walked over to Zero on uneasy legs, not realizing how badly he had been beaten by the onslaught of mavericks he had to face in Gate’s base. The compilation of wounds from Double, Vile, and Gate was pushing his system to their limits. Somehow it didn’t seem to bother him enough to stop his journey to lean over the red android, picking him up and holding him in his arms. For some reason, he could feel Dr. Light’s presence in his system. It was telling him to place the hand that still had some power left from his nova strike on Zero’s forehead. 

Trusting the urges sent from his creator, X gently brushed aside Zero’s bangs so he could place his hand on the area where the purple W was appearing. The light emanating from it flickered weakly before going out completely.

Zero opened his eyes after a few minutes, not realizing when he had closed them or how much time had passed. He could feel the large wound on his forehead from where the remnants of the virus burned his mind, but it was nothing compared to the pain from earlier. His mind was clear again, Zero smiling up with an exhausted look on his face. 

“Zero...are you alright?”

“Heh heh...I’m glad I didn’t go maverick on you...I’d beg you to kill me, but it doesn’t look like Gate’s plan worked.”

“Save your energy, we need to get you to Dr. Cain!”

“I know, I know...X….thank you…”

The blue android was trembling from the effort, barely able to stand and he could feel his legs cracking. He dimly realized it had been his cracked armor holding his broken parts together, allowing him to keep upright. He couldn't maintain their joined weight, falling onto his knees while still holding the other android in his arms. 

Zero passed out for good after that, X hugging him close. He found himself crying into Zero’s hair, relieved his friend was alright. This was his best friend and he had been so close to losing him. He couldn't stop the flood of emotions going through him, relief being the biggest because he didn't have to kill his friend. 

X looked up when he sensed a large group of reploids approaching, hearing the footsteps quickly getting closer to his location.  
Sigma, the rest of the 17th unit , General, and Colonel all rushed in. They heard some of the fight, mostly Zero and X’s screams and Sigma had been thinking the worst. 

“What happened here? Are you alright?!”

It was odd that the commander was the one panicking this time, a rare break of his usual controlled front. X would never forget seeing the expression on his superior officer. 

“It's alright, commander... I'll explain everything on the ride home, but right now we need to get Zero to the Lifesavers.”

Sigma looked at X’s body, thinking to himself that X probably needed to see a Lifesaver more than Zero did. He wouldn't say that out loud, the android no doubt was too exhausted to listen to any of Sigma's words.

The mission was complete, Gate’s threat was destroyed. They could go home.

The group left the fortress, Sigma looking up at the sun once they exited the research facility. He wouldn't dwell on the what-ifs or any of the possible failures that had led to the hunters he was overseeing getting injured, for now he would focus on how lucky they were not to have had any major casualties.

He glanced over to see X still holding Zero up, a novelty since the android could barely walk. He insisted on being the one to place his friend on the stretcher inside their ship, never letting Zero out of his sight. Sigma smiled at the display, looking around at the hunters that needed medical treatment. Once X was alone, the commander watched with amusement as a Lifesaver pushed X onto his own respective stretcher, saying it was an anomaly of probability that his leg mechanisms hadn't broken completely by now. 

Sigma closed his eyes, that was one chapter in the long history of the maverick wars over. 

They could rest for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there were multiple versions for this chapter, a part of me not wanting to deal with the zero vs x fight because that really only happened in the games from Sigma wanting it to. i didn’t even plan on actually finishing this story officially, one of the endings was just all of them going out for donuts and maybe x and zero make out for a bit.


	15. Epilogue

It had taken a few weeks to clean up all of the mess Gate and his forces left behind. The research facility was wiped clean of all his research, extra precautions taken so the hunters' scientists didn't get infected when handling the maverick virus samples found. Upon Sigma's request, the remains of the mavericks found were stored away in the hope that someday they could be rebuilt and cured once they created the vaccine for the maverick virus. Until then, they would be held in a building run by humans so there would be no risk of contamination happening to other reploids.

Once the hunters had finished with the research facility, in commemoration of X’s bravery he was made head of a new special unit. At first X protested that he could never lead a unit on his own, but Sigma told him he would have Zero as his right hand to help him out. It was a lot to take in, it took Alia, Nana, Iris, Dr. Cain, and Sigma to tell X how much progress he had made and how much he had grown up since joining Sigma’s unit. Eventually X relented, thanking the commander and they shook hands to cement the new title. X tried to shake off his doubts by reminding himself that he would have Zero by his side, and with his best friend X was sure he would be fine.

X still had mixed feelings since the promotion felt like it came so quickly. Not only had he and Zero been raised to rank Special A, but getting to work together on the new team seemed like too much. It would be left to X to determine the other members of the unit, a process he knew he would need to take extra caution. 

Once he broke the news to his partner, Zero was also gently reminding X that he had been an effective hunter on his own throughout this ordeal so he should have no issue living up to Sigma's expectations. That had helped fight down any further doubts X had, grateful he would still have Zero presence when he felt insecure. 

When all the loose ends were accounted for, a celebration was held to boost morale and because the world was finally safe again. For now at least, they could enjoy themselves. 

Storm Eagle and Storm Owl were hanging out with Boomer Kuwanger and Gravity Beetle, discussing their respective experiences from their missions. Shield Sheldon and Armored Armadillo were sitting together while sharing a few drinks, laughing about the memory of a mission they worked together on where they were protecting a group of scientists from an ambush of mechaniloid. Repliforce and Maverick Hunters alike were at peace, the stress of the previous threat turning into a lingering feeling they could ignore at this moment. 

Blizzard Buffalo was busy making ice flurry art with Frost Walrus, using lasers from Cyber Peacock to create an aurora borealis effect. It was beautiful, the reploids looking up at the lights in awe. 

Iris and her brother were congratulating Zero, standing together slightly away from the larger groups of reploids.

“It's great that X got a promotion, but if you ever wanted your own unit, the General would be happy to steal you over for Repliforce! He's been admiring your results for some time, Zero.”

Zero and Iris laughed at Colonel’s joke, the reploid's sister voicing her opinion on the matter before their friend could.

“You know he would never leave the Maverick Hunters, brother. We would have to convince X to leave with him, you have to get them both or not at all.”

Zero blushed lightly at that, pouting at how casually Iris made the remark at his expense. It reminded him that he still hadn't had a chance to speak with X personally. The other hunter had been busy with the preparations made for his new responsibilities in addition to the respective repairs on their bodies being completed. They still had no idea what exactly prevented Zero from going maverick a second time, but the researchers were studying samples of his programming to try and see if antibodies were produced against the virus. 

Curiously, X wasn’t capable of performing his nova strike anymore after his fight with Gate but it didn’t seem to bother him much. He had taken off his upgrades once the official statement that they weren’t in the midst of a battle was stated, something that both amazed and confused his peers. It seemed to make him uncomfortable being powered up as a war machine when there wasn’t a battle to fight.

Zero looked around for him, spotting the blue android hanging around a group that included Alia, Douglas, Signas, and Sigma. Sigma and Signas had been drinking from the looks of it, Alia was trying to stop the two from arm wrestling since Sigma could break Signas's arm with ease. It would have been impressive to see since Signas was a heavyweight himself but now was not the best time to display it. 

X was smiling, feeling awkward while he saw his commander playfully taunting Signas. He stood next to Alia, the two watching and laughing while they tried to voice other options instead of Sigma throwing Signas across the table they were using. 

It felt good, Zero couldn't help smiling too because this was a place he belonged in. He had friends now, and he owed it all to X and Sigma. Sigma he would thank separately later, when he had sobered up, for now he went over to pull X by the arm discreetly so they could be alone. X didn’t fight him, not minding leaving the group since he wasn't making any progress in convincing his commander not to wrestle with the head operator. 

When they could confirm they were alone, Zero decided to go first.

“They're a noisy group...”

“They are, yeah. I forgot that this might be odd for you, it’s your first time seeing the Commander when he’s not serious. This isn’t even the worst thing he’s done. It’s good that they can have fun after everything that happened, but it can be tempting to go overboard.”

X put a hand on his other arm, feeling slightly nervous. He was trying not to talk too much to cover up his self consciousness. There were a couple of events between the two androids that would need to be acknowledged at some point, he just didn't think the other would choose to do so now. The sound of Zero’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“I think I have an idea of how you view me.”

The blue android looked down so he didn't need to face Zero while he spoke. This was also eventually going to happen, especially since X had heard around the base snide remarks that he would follow Zero like a lovesick child at times. X still didn’t know what exactly to call his feelings, but they were more than a simple crush. He realized that when he almost lost the red android, life without him seemed almost unbearable. X let the other hunter continue, praying Zero would let him down easily and it wouldn’t interfere with their friendship. 

“Don't look so sad, X. I think...I feel the same way. I don't think I was programmed to be able to, but whatever these feelings are, I know they're there.”

X jerked his head up to look at him, leading them to stare at each other for a moment. The blue android was having a hard time wrapping his head around the other's words, primarily because he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Zero could see him struggling, causing him to smile warmly.

“I love you, X.”

Zero stepped forward, moving slowly so X could pull away if he didn't approve of the gesture. The opposite seemed to happen, X moving forward so they were up against each other. They pressed their mouths against each other in a kiss, X wrapping his arms around Zero's neck to bring him closer. 

When they pulled away, their foreheads were still touching while they stayed in the embrace.

“I- I don’t even know what to say. I love you too, Zero. I didn’t know what to call this before, I wish I had the chance to talk to Dr. Cain about it since I should have realized it was one of the human emotions I was processing. I--I just----I'm so happy I have you by my side. I was scared I could have lost you...you’re my best friend, I wouldn’t even know what to do without you.”

Zero was laughing at X’s babbling, it was entertaining watching him overload with his feelings. He took it as a source of pride that he could bring out the usually reserved robot’s emotions. The other hunter couldn’t help pressing his lips against X’s forehead again. Zero realized then why he didn’t get annoyed as easily with the blue android as he would with others, he would never say to the hunter’s face that his mannerisms were cute but the word came to mind in these moments. 

“Easy, I felt bad enough already that I got caught off guard before. You don’t have to rub it in.”

Zero accented his point by rubbing his forehead against the other android, they adjusted themselves to hug while X laughed. He could feel the other’s hair tickling his face, the close contact something he didn’t realize would make him so happy. Somehow simple gestures from the other made that bubbling sensation from the first time the android kissed his forehead resurface, X realizing that rush when he was in close proximity to the android must have stemmed from his feelings for him.

The world was at peace once more and he got to keep his close relationship with his best friend. He hoped it would stay like this for a little while longer, though he knew the next threat would come while they still searched for the cure for the maverick virus. Until then, he wouldn't worry about the future.

Because he had his friends and Zero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woot, story done! this is a bonus chapter cause why not, it's the end of this au and this one was probably the most fun to write.
> 
> I surprised myself a lot with this story in general. Sigma not being a maverick isn't an original idea by any means and I’m sure no one reading this would say I was particularly creative, but the more I played with the idea the more I got curious how that would change other events, especially when there were so few glimpses of what he was like before he was a maverick. 
> 
> Repliforce wouldn't have been destroyed, most of the hunters wouldn't have turned maverick, etc. It's amazing how big the ripples get just because Sigma isn't evil. Then the rest is purely self indulgent head canons, it’s not really like I've been trying to follow one game or source exactly when writing this and a ton of liberties were taken. There are too many likable reploids, I couldn't resist including as many as possible and not having them die.
> 
> And of course, I have to thank the readers for supporting this story and being so kind while I tried to make it better ;w; I read all the comments so even if I don't respond, please know that your kind words were a pleasure to read and I appreciate every person for leaving their response to this.


End file.
